■ 


/-  £  CALIFORNIA 

TAT 


io.^ 


Extract  from  ••  In   Act  defining  the  Duties  of  State  Librarian,  and 
prescribing  Rules  tor  the  government  of  the  State  Library,"  passed 

April  9,   18-30. 


$  3.  Books  may  be  taken  from  the  State  Library  by  the  Members 
of  the  Legislature  and  its  Officers  during  the  .Sessions  of  the  saint! ; 
and  at  any  time  by  the  Governor,  and  the  Officers  of  the  Executive 
Department  of  tins  State,  who  are  required  to  keep  their  offices  at 
the  Seat  of  Government ;  the  Justices  of  Supreme  Court,  and  At- 
torney ( reneral ;  provided,  that  no  person  shall  be  permitted  to  take 
or  retain  from  the  Library  more  than  two  volumes  of  miscellaneous 
works  at  any  one  time. 

§  4.  The  Librarian  shall  cause  to  be  kept  a  register  of  all  books 
issued  and  returned,  at  the  time  they  shall  be  so  issued  or  returned; 
and  none  of  the  books,  except  the  Laws,  Journals  and  Reports  of 
this  State,  which  may  be  taken  from  the  Library  by  Members  of 
the  Legislature,  or  its  Officers,  during  the  Session,  shall  be  retained 
more  than  two  weeks  ;  and  all  the  books  taken  by  the  Members  of 
the  Legislature,  or  its  Officers  of  every  kind,  shall  be  returned  at 
the  close  of  the  Si  --ion. 

■'>.  [f  any  person  injure  01  fail  to  return  any  books  taken  from 
the  Library,  within  the  time  prescribed  in  the  foregoing  Section, 
be  shall  forfeit  and  pay  to  the  Librarian,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Li- 
brary, three  times  the  value  thereof,  or  of  the  set  to  which  it  belongs; 
and  before  the  Controller  shall  issue  his  warrant  in  favor  of  any 
Member  or  Officer  of  the  Legislature,  or  of  this  State,  for  his  per 

diem  allowance,  or  salary,  be  shall  be  satisfied  that  such  Member  or 

Officer  has  returned  all  book-  taken  out  of  the  Library  by  him,  and 

•  -ettled  all  accounts  for  injuring  such  books  or  otherwise. 

$  0.  All  fines  and  forfeitures  accruing  under  and  by  virtue  ofthis 
Act,  shall  lie  recoverable  by  action  of  debt  before  any  Justice  of  the 
I'i  ace  or  <  oiirt  having  jurisdiction  of  the  same,  in  the  name  of  the 
People  of  the  Stale  of  California,  for  the  use  of  the  State  Library, 
and  in  all  such  trials,  the  entries  of  the  Librarian,  to  be  made  as 
hereinbefore  described,  shall  be  evidence  of  the  delivery  of  the  book 
or  books,  and  of  the  dates  thereof;  and  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  carry 

tor    all 


L!;' 


THE 


, 
# 


SETTLERS  IN  CANADA. 


WRITTEN  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BT 


CAPTAIN  MARRYAT. 


"£v.  to  1 

IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


NEW- YORK : 
D.  AtTLETON  &  CO.,  346  &  348  BROADWAY. 

M.DCCO.LVI. 


n 


THE    SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

It  was  in  the  year  1794,  that  an  English  family 
went  out  to  settle  in  Canada.  This  province  had 
been  surrendered  to  us  by  the  French,  who  first  colo- 
onized  it,  more  than  thirty  years  previous  to  the  year 
I  have  mentioned.  It  must,  however,  be  recollected, 
that  to  emigrate  and  settle  in  Canada  was,  at  that 
time,  a  very  different  affair  to  what  it  is  now.  The 
difficulty  of  transport,  and  the  dangers  incurred, 
were  much  greater,  for  there  were  no  steamboats  to 
stem  the  currents  and  the  rapids  of  the  rivers ;  the 
Indians  were  still  residing  in  Upper  and  many  por- 
tions of  Lower  Canada,  and  the  country  was  infested 
with  wild  animals  of  every  description— some  use- 
ful, but  many  dangerous  :  moreover,  the  Europeans 
were  fewer  in  number,  and  the  major  portion  of  them 
were  French,  who  were  not  pleased  at  the  country 
having  been  conquered  by  the  English.  It  is  true 
that  a  great  many  English  settlers  had  arrived,  and 
had  settled  upon  different  farms  ;  but  as  the  French 
settlers  had  already  possession  of  all  the  best  land  in 
Lower  Canada,  these  new  settlers  were  obliged  tc 
go  into  or  toward  Upper  Canada,  where,  although 
the  land  was  better,  the  distance  from  Quebec  and 

a  i  ■-■  "•  h 


0  THE  SETTLERS. 

Montreal,  and  other  populous  parts,  was  much  great- 
er, and  they  were  left  almost  wholly  to  their  own 
resources,  and  almost  without  protection.  I  mention 
all  this,  because  things  are  so  very  different  at  pres- 
ent :  and  now  I  shall  state  the  cause  which  induced 
this  family  to  leave  their  home,  and  run  the  risks 
and  dangers  which  they  did. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  of  a  good  parentage,  but,  being 
the  son  of  one  of  the  younger  branches  of  the  family, 
his  father  was  not  rich,  and  Mr.  Campbell  was,  of 
course,  brought  up  to  a  profession.  Mr.  Campbell 
chose  that  of  a  surgeon  ;  and  after  having  walked 
the  hospitals  (as  it  is  termed),  he  set  up  in  business, 
and  in  a  few  years  was  considered  as  a  very  able 
man  in  his  profession.  His  practice  increased  very 
fast ;  and  before  he  was  thirty  years  of  age  he  mar- 
ried. 

Mr.  Campbell  had  an  only  sister,  who  resided 
with  him,  for  their  father  and  mother  were  both 
dead.  But  about  five  years  after  his  own  marriage, 
a  young  gentleman  paid  his  addresses  to  her  ;  and 
although  not  rich,  as  his  character  was  unexception- 
able, and  his  prospects  good,  he  was  accepted.  Miss 
Campbell  changed  her  name  to  Percival,  and  left 
her  brother's  house  to  follow  her  husband. 

Time  passed  quickly  ;  and,  at  the  end  of  ten  years, 
Mr.  Campbell  found  himself  with  a  flourishing  busi- 
ness, and  at  the  same  time  with  a  family  to  support, 
his  wife  having  presented  him  with  four  boys,  of 
whom  the  youngest  was  but  a  few  months  old. 

But,  although  prosperous  in  his  own  affairs,  one 
heavy  misfortune  fell  upon  Mr.  Campbell,  which' 
wa?  the  loss  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Percival,  to  whom  he 
was  most  sincerely  attached.  Her  loss  was  attended 
with  circumstances  which  rendered  it  more  painful, 
as,  previous  to  her  decease,  the  house  of  business  in 
which  Mr.  Percival  was  a  partner  failed  ;  and  the 
incessant  toil  and  anxiety  which  Mr.  Percival  under- 
went, brought  on  a  violent  lever,  which  ended  in  his 
death.   In  this  state  of  distress,  left  a  widow  with  one 


THE   SETTLERS.  7 

child  oftwo  years  old,  a  liitle  girl,  and  with  theexpec 
tation  of  being  shortly  again  confined,  Mrs.  Percival 
was  brought  to  her  brother's  house,  who,  with  his 
wife,  did  all  he  could  to  soften  down  her  grief;  but 
she  had  suffered  so  much  by  the  loss  of  her  husband, 
that,  when  the  period  arrived,  her  strength  was 
gone,  and  she  died  in  giving  birth  to  a  second  daugh- 
ter. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  of  course,  took  charge 
of  these  two  little  orphan  girls,  aud  brought  them 
ap  with  their  own  children. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  about  ten  or  eleven 
years  after  Mr.  Campbell's  marriage,  when  a  cir- 
cumstance occurred  as  unexpected  as  it  was  wel- 
come. 

Mr.  Campbell  had  returned  from  his  round  of  pro- 
fessional visits  ;  dinner  was  over,  and  he  was  sitting 
at  the  table  with  his  wife  and  elder  children  (for  it 
was  the  Christmas  holydays,  and  they  were  all  at 
home),  and  the  bell  had  just  been  rung  for  the  nurse 
to  bring  down  the  two  little  girls,  and  the  youngest 
boy,  when  the  postman  rapped  at  the  door,  and  the 
parlor-maid  brought  in  a  letter  with  a  large  black 
seal.  Mr.  Campbell  opened  it,  and  read  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  Sir  :  We  have  great  pleasure  in  making  known 
to  you,  that  upon  the  demise  of  Mr.  Sholto  Camp- 
bell, of  Wexton  Hall,  Cumberland,  which  took  place 
on  ihe  19th  ultimo,  the  entailed  estates,  in  default 
of  more  direct  issue,  have  fallen  to  you,  as  nearest 
of  kin  ;  the  presumptive  heir  having  perished  at  sea, 
or  in  the  East  Indies,  and  not  having  been  heard  of 
for  twenty-five  years.  We  beg  to  be  the  first  to  con- 
gratulate you  upon  your  accession  to  real  property, 
amounting  to  £14,000  per  annum.  No  will  has 
been  found,  and  it  has  been  ascertained  that  none 
was  ever  made  by  the  late  Mr.  Sholto  Campbell. 
We  have,  therefore,  put  seals  upon  the  personal 
property,  and  shall  wait  your  pleasure.  We  can 
only  add,  that  if  in  want  of  professional  advice,  and 


8  THE   SETTLERS. 

not  being  already  engaged,  you  may  command  the  ser. 
rices  of 

"  Your  most  obedient, 

"Hakvey,  Paxton,  Thorpe,  &  Co." 

"What  can  be  the  matter,  my  dear  ?"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Campbell,  who  had  perceived  most  unusual 
agitation  in  her  husband's  countenance. 

Mr.  Campbell  made  no  reply,  but  handed  the  let- 
ter to  his  wife. 

Mrs.  Campbell  read  it,  and  laid  it  down  on  the 
table. 

"  Well,  my  dear  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Campbell,  joy- 
fully, and  starting  up  from  his  chair. 

"  It  is  a  sudden  shock,  indeed,"  observed  Mrs. 
Campbell,  thoughtfully  and  slowly ;  "  I  have  often  felt 
that  we  could  bear  up  against  any  adversity.  I  trust 
in  God  that  we  may  be  as  well  able  to  support  pros- 
perity, by  Jar  the  hardest  task,  my  dear  Campbell, 
of  the  two." 

"  You  are  right,  Emily,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell, 
sitting  down  again;  "  we  are,  and  have  long  been, 
happy." 

"  This  sudden  wealth  can  not  add  to  our  happi- 
ness, my  dear  husband,  I  feel  it  will  rather  add  to 
our  cares  ;  but  it  may  enable  us  to  add  to  the  happi- 
ness  of  others  ;  and  with  such  feelings,  let  us  receive 
it  with  thankfulness." 

"Very  true,  Emily  ;  but  still  we  must  do  our  duty 
in  that  station  of  life  to  which  it  has  pleased  God  to 
call  us.  Hitherto  I  have  by  my  profession  been  of 
some  benefit  to  my  fellow-creatures;  and  if  in  my 
change  ")f  condition  1  no  more  leave  my  warm  bed  to 
relieve  their  sufferings,  at  all  events,  I  shall  have  the 
means  of  employing  others  so  to  do.  We  must  con- 
sider ourselves  but  as  the  stewards  of  Him  who  has 
bestowed  this  great  wealth  upon  us,  and  employ  it 
as  may  be  acceptable  to  his  service." 

"  There  my  husband  spoke  as  I  felt  he  would," 
said  Mrs.  Campbell,  rising  up  and  embracing  him. 


THE   SETTLERS.  if 

11  Those  who  feel   as  you   do  can  never    be    too 
rich." 

I  must  not  dwell  too  long  upon  this  portion  of  my 
narrative.  I  shall  therefore  observe  that  Mr.  Camp- 
bell took  possession  of  Wexton  Hall,  and  lived  in  a 
style  corresponding  to  his  increased  fortune  ;  but,  at 
the  same  time,  he  never  let  pass  an  opportunity  of 
doing  good,  and  in  this  task  he  was  ably  assisted  by 
his  wife.  They  had  not  resided  there  three  or  four 
years  before  they  were  considered  as  a  blessing  to 
all  around  them — encouraging  industry,  assisting 
the  unfortunate,  relieving  the  indigent,  building 
almshouses  and  schools,  and  doing  all  in  their  power 
to  promote  the  welfare  and  add  to  the  happiness  of 
those  within  many  miles  of  the  hall.  At  the  time 
that  Mr.  Campbell  took  possession,  the  estate  had 
been  much  neglected,  and  required  large  sums  to 
be  laid  out  upon  it,  which  would  much  increase  its 
value. 

Thus  all  the  large  income  of  Mr.  Campbell  was 
usefully  and  advantageously  employed.  The  change 
in  Mr.  Campbell's  fortune  had  also  much  changed 
the  prospects  of  his  children.  Henry,  the  eldest, 
who  had  been  intended  for  his  father's  profession, 
was  first  sent  to  a  private  tutor,  and  afterward  to 
college.  Alfred,  the  second  boy,  had  chosen  the 
navy  for  his  profession,  and  had  embarked  on  board 
a  fine  frigate.  The  other  two  boys,  one  named  Per 
cival,  who  was  more  than  two  years  old  at  the  time 
that  they  took  possession  of  the  property,  and  the 
other,  John,  who  had  been  born  only  a  few  months, 
remained  at  home,  receiving  tuition  from  a  young 
curate  who  lived  near  the  hall ;  while  a  governess  had 
been  procured  for  Mary  and  Emma  Percival,  who 
were  growing  up  very  handsome  and  intelligent  girls. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  at  the  time  when 
Mr.  Campbell  had  been  about  ten  years  in  possession 
of  the  Wexton  estate,  when  one  day  he  was  called 
upon  by  Mr.  Harvey,  the  head  of  the  firm  which 
had  announced  to  him  his  succession  to  the  property. 


10  THE   SETTLERS. 

Mr.  Harvey  came  to  inform  him  that  a  claimant 
had  appeared,  and  given  notice  of  his  intent  to  file 
a  bill  in  chancery  to  recover  the  estate,  being,  as  he 
asserted,  the  son  of  the  person  who  had  been  consid- 
ered as  the  presumptive  heir,  and  who  had  perished 
so  many  years  back.  Mr.  Harvey  observed,  .hat  al- 
though he  thought  it  his  duty  to  make  the  circum- 
stance known  to  Mr.  Campbell,  he  considered  it  as 
a  matter  of  no  consequence,  and  in  all  probability 
would  turn  out  to  be  a  fraud  got  up  by  some  petty 
attorney,  with  a  view  to  a  compromise.  He  request- 
ed Mr.  Campbell  not  to  allow  the  circumstance  to 
give  him  any  annoyance,  stating  that  if  more  was 
heard  of  it,  Mr.  Campbell  should  be  immediately  in- 
formed. Satisfied  with  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Harvey, 
Mr.  Campbell  dismissed  the  circumstance  from  his 
mind,  and  did  not  even  mention  it  to  his  wife. 

But  three  months  had  not  passed  away  before  Mr. 
Campbell  received  a  letter  from  his  solicitor,  in 
which  he  informed  him  that  the  claim  to  the  estate 
was  carrying  on  with  great  vigor,  and,  he  was  sorry 
to  add,  wore  (to  use  his  own  term)  a  very  ugly  ap- 
pearance ;  and  that  the  opposite  parties  would,  at  all 
events,  put  Mr.  Campbell  to  very  considerable  ex- 
pense. The  solicitor  requested  Mr.  Campbell's  in- 
structions, again  asserting,  that  although  it  was  art- 
fully got  up,  he  considered  that  it  was  a  fraudulent 
attempt.  Mr.  Campbell  returned  an  answer,  in  which 
he  authorized  his  solicitor  to  take  every  needful  pre- 
caution, and  to  incur  all  necessary  expense.  On  re- 
flection, Mr.  Campbell,  although  much  annoyed,  de- 
termii  ed  not  to  make  Mrs.  Campbell  acquainted 
wilh  what  was  going  on  ;  it  could  only  distress  her, 
he  thought,  and  he  therefore  resolved  for  the  present 
to  leave  her  in  ignorance. 


THE   SETTLERS.  11 


CHAPTER  II. 

After  a  delay  of  some  months,  Mr.  Harvey  called 
Upon  Mr.  Campbell,  and  stated  to  him  that  the  claim 
of  the  opposite  party,  so  far  from  being  fraudulent 
as  he  had  supposed,  was  so  clear,  that  he  feared  the 
worst  results. 

It  appeared  that  the  heir  to  the  estates,  who  had 
remained  between  Mr.  Campbell's  title,  had  married 
in  India,  and  had  subsequently,  as  it  had  been  sup- 
posed, died ;  but  there  was  full  and  satisfactory- 
proof  that  the  marriage  was  valid,  and  that  the  par- 
ty who  claimed  was  his  son.  It  was  true,  Mr.  Har- 
vey observed,  that  Mr.  Campbell  might  delay  for 
some  time  the  restoration  of  the  property,  but  that 
eventually  it  must  be  surrendered. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Campbell  received  this  letter,  he 
went  to  his  wife  and  acquainted  her  with  all  that 
had  been  going  on  for  some  months,  and  with  the 
reasons  which  induced  him  to  say  nothing  to  her 
until  the  receipt  of  Mr.  Harvey's  letter,  which  he 
now  put  into  her  hands,  requesting  her  opinion  on 
the  subject.  Mrs.  Campbell,  after  having  read  the 
letter,  replied — 

"  It  appears,  my  dear  husband,  that  we  have  been 
called  to  take  possession  of  a  property,  and  to  hold 
for  many  years  that  which  belongs  to  another.  We 
are  now  called  upon  to  give  it  up  to  the  rightful 
owner.  You  ask  my  opinion  ;  surely  there  is  no 
occasion  to  do  that.  We  must  of  course  now,  that 
we  know  that  the  claim  is  just,  do  as  we  would  be 
done  by." 

"  That  is,  my  dearest,  we  must  surrender  it  at 
once,  without  any  more  litigation.     It  certainly  has 


12  THE   SETTLERS. 

been  my  feeling  ever  since  I  have  read  Mr.  Harvey's 
letter.     Yet  it  is  hard  to  be  beggars." 

"It  is  hard,  my  clear  husband,  if  we  may  use  that 
term  ;  but  at  the  same  time,  it  is  the  will  of  Heaven. 
We  received  the  property  supposing  it  to  have  been 
our  own ;  we  have,  I  hope,  not  misused  it  during 
the  time  it  has  been  intrusted  to  us  ;  and,  since  it 
pleases  Heaven  that  we  should  be  deprived  of  it,  let 
us,  at  all  events,  have  the  satisfaction  of  acting  con- 
scientiously and  justly,  and  trust  to  him  for  oar  future 
support." 

"  I  will  write  immediately,"  replied  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, "to  acquaint  Mr.  Harvey,  that  although  I  liti- 
gated the  point  as  long  as  the  claim  was  considered 
doubtful,  now  that  he  informs  that  the  other  party 
is  the  legal  heir,  I  beg  that  all  proceedings  may  be 
stopped,  as  I  am  willing  to  give  immediate  posses- 
sion." 

"  Do  so,  my  dear,"  replied  his  wife,  embracing 
him.  "  We  may  be  poor,  but  I  trust  we  shall  still 
be  happy." 

Mr.  Campbell  sat  down  and  wrote  the  letter  of 
instructions  to  his  solicitor,  sealed  it,  and  sent  a 
groom  with  it  to  the  post. 

As  soon  as  the  servant  had  closed  the  door  of  the 
room,  Mr.  Campbell  covered  his  face  with  his  hands. 

"It  is,  indeed  a  severe  trial,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell, 
taking  the  hand  of  her  husband ;  "  but  you  have 
done  your  duty." 

"I  care  not  for  myself;  I  am  thinking  of  my  chil- 
dren." 

"  They  must  work,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell. 
"Employment  is  happiness." 

"  Yes,  the  boys  may  get  on  ;  but  those  poor  girls  ! 
what  a  change  will  it  be  for  them  !" 

"  I  trust  they  have  been  not  so  badly  brought  up„ 
Campbell,  but  that  they  will  submit  with  cheerful- 
ness, and  be  a  source  of  comfort  to  us  both.  Besides, 
we  may  not  be  absolutely  beggars." 

"That  depends  upon  the  other  party.     He  may 


THE   SETTLERS. 


13 


claim  all  arrears  of  rent ;  and  if  so,  we  are  more 
than  beggars.  However,  God's  will  be  done.  Shall 
we  receive  good,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil  V 

"  There's  hope,  my  husband,"  replied  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, in  a  cheering  tone ;  "let  us  hope  for  the  best." 

"How  little  do  we  know  what  is  for  our  good, 
short-sighted  mortals  as  we  are!"  observed  Mr. 
Campbell.  "Had  not  this  estate  come  to  us,  I 
should,  by  following  up  my  profession  as  surgeon 
in  all  probability,  have  realized  a  good  provision  lot 
my  children  :  now,  this  seeming  good  turn  ot  fortune 
leaves  me  poor.  I  am  too  old  now  to  resume  my 
profession,  and,  if  I  did,  have  no  chance  of  obtaining 
the  practice  which  I  left.  You  see  that  which  ap- 
peared to  us  and  every  one  else  the  most  fortunate 
occurrence  in  my  life,  has  eventually  proved  the 

contrary."  , , 

"As  far  as  our  limited  view  of  things  can  enable 
us  to  judge,  I  grant  it,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell ;  "but 
who  knows  what  might  have  happened  if  we  had 
remained  in  possession?  All  is  hidden  from  our 
view.  He  acts  as  he  thinks  best  for  us  ;  and  it  isfoi 
us  to  submit  without  repining.  Come,  dearest,  le' 
us  walk  out  ;  the  air  is  fresh,  and  will  cool  youi 

heated  brow."  . 

Two  days  after  this  conversation,  a  letter  was  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  Harvey,  informing  them  that  he  had 
made  known  Mr.  Campbell's  determination  to  resign 
the  property  without  farther  litigation  ;  that  the 
reply  of  the  other  party  was  highly  honorable,  stat- 
in°-  that  it  was  not  his  intention  to  make  any  claim 
for  the  back  rents,  and  requesting  that  Mr.  Campbell 
and  family  would  consider  Wexton  Hall  at  their  dis- 
posal for  three  months,  to  enable  them  to  make 
arrangements,  and  dispose  of  their  furniture,  &c. 

The  contents  of  this  letter  were  a  great  relief  to 
the  mind  of  Mr.  Campbell,  as  he  was  now  able  to 
ascertain  what  his  future  means  might  be,  and  was 
grateful  for  the  handsome  behavior  of  the  new  pro- 
prietor in  not  making  any  claim  for  back  rents  which 
Vol.  I.—  2 


14  THE   SETTLERS. 

would  have  reduced  him  at  once  to  penury.  He 
wrote  immediately  to  Mr.  Harvey,  requesting  him 
to  send  in  his  account  of  legal  expenses,  that  it  might 
be  liquidated  as  soon  as  possible.  In  three  days  it 
arrived,  and  a  letter  with  it,  in  which  Mr.  Harvey 
acquainted  him,  that  it  was  in  consequence  of  his 
having  so  handsomely  surrendered  the  property  as 
soon  as  the  claim  Avas  substantiated,  together  with 
the  knowledge  how  much  the  estate  had  been  im- 
proved during  the  ten  years  in  which  it  had  been  in 
his  possession,  which  induced  the  new  proprietor  to 
behave  in  so  liberal  a  manner.  This  was  very  grat- 
ifying to  Mr.  Campbell,  but  the  legal  expenses  proved 
enormous,  amounting  to  many  thousand  pounds. 

Mr.  Campbell  read  the  sum  total,  and  threw  the 
huge  heap  of  papers  down  on  the  table  in  despair. 

"We  are  still  ruined,  my  dear,"  said  he,  mourn- 
fully. 

"  Let  us  hope  not,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell.  "At 
all  events,  we  now  know  the  worst  of  it,  and  we 
must  look  it  boldly  in  the  face." 

"  I  have  not  so  much  money  as  will  pay  the  bill 
by  nearly  a  thousand  pounds,  my  dearest  wife." 

"  It  may  be  so,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell  ;  "  but  still 
there  is  the  furniture,  the  horses,  and  carriages ; 
surely,  they  are  worth  much  more." 

"  But  we  have  other  bills  to  pay  ;  you  forget 
them." 

"No,  I  do  not;  I  have  been  collecting  them  all, 
and  they  do  not  amount  to  more  than  £300,  as  near 
as  I  can  judge  ;  but  we  have  no  time  to  lose,  dearest, 
and  we  must  show  courage." 

"What  then  do  you  advise,  Emily?"  said  Mr. 
Campbell. 

"We  must  incur  no  more  expense;  our  present 
establishment  must  be  dismissed  at  once.  Send  for 
all  the  servants  to-morrow  morning,  and  explain 
what  has  occurred.  This  evening  I  will  make  it 
known  to  the  two  girls  and  Miss  Paterson,  who  must 
of  course  be  discharged,  as  we  can  no  longer  afford 


THE   SETTLERS.  15 

a  governess.  We  must  retain  only  the  cook,  house- 
maid, one  footman,  and  a  groom  to  look  after  the 
horses  until  they  are  sold.  Send  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Bates,  the  auctioneer,  to  give  notice  of  an  early  sale 
of  the  furniture.  You  must  write  to  Henry ;  of 
course,  he  can  no  longer  remain  at  college.  We 
have  plenty  of  time  to  consider  what  shall  be  our 
future  plans,  which  must  depend  much  upon  what 
may  prove  to  be  our  future  means." 

This  judicious  advice  was  approved  of  by  Mr. 
Campbell.  Miss  Paterson  was  greatly  distressed 
when  the  news  was  communicated  to  her  by  Mrs. 
Campbell.  Mary  and  Emma  Percival  felt  deeply 
for  their  kind  benefactors,  but  thought  nothing  of 
themselves.  As  Mrs.  Campbell  had  truly  observed, 
they  had  been  too  well  brought  up.  As  soon  as  they 
were  informed  of  what  had  happened,  they  both  ran 
to  Mr.  Campbell's  room,  and  hung  upon  his  neck, 
declaring  that  they  would  do  all  they  could  to  make 
him  happy,  and  work  for  him,  if  necessary  from 
morning  till  night. 

The  next  day  the  whole  household  were  sum 
moned  into  the  dining-room,  and  made  acquainted 
by  Mr.  Campbell  with  what  had  taken  place,  and 
the  necessity  of  their  immediate  removal.  Their 
wages  had  been  calculated,  and  were  paid  them  be- 
fore they  quitted  the  room,  which  they  all  did  with 
many  expressions  of  regret.  Miss  Paterson  request- 
ed leave  to  remain  with  them  as  a  friend  for  a  few 
days  longer,  and  as  she  was  deservedly  a  favorite, 
her  request  was  acceded  to. 

"Thank  Heaven,  that  is  over!"  said  Mr  Camp- 
bell, after  a:i  tn2  household  had  been  Gismissed. 
"  It  is  quite  a  relief  to  my  mind.'' 

"  Here's  a  letter  from  Alfred,  uncle,"  said  Emma 
Percival,  entering  the  room.  "He  has  just  arrived 
at  Portsmouth,  and  says  the  ship  is  ordered  to  be 
paid  off  immediately,  and  his  captain  is  appointed  to 
a  fifty-gun  ship,  and  intends  to  take  him  with  him. 
He  says  he  will  be  here  in  a  very  few  days,  and" — 


16  THE   SETTLERS. 

"And  what,  dearest?"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"He  says  his  time  will  be  short,  but  he  hopes  you 
won't  object  to  his  bringing  two  of  his  messmates 
down  with  him." 

"Poor  fellow!  I  am  sorry  that  he  will  be  disap- 
pointed," replied  Mr.  Campbell.  "  You  must  write 
to  him,  Emma,  and  tell  him  what  has  happened." 

"  I  must  write  to  him,  uncle  ?" 

"Yes,  dear  Emma,  do  you  write  to  him,"  replied 
Mrs.  Campbell;  "your  uncle  and  I  have  much  to 
attend  to." 

"I  will,  since  you  wish  me,"  said  Emma,  the 
tears  starting  in  her  eyes,  as  she  quitted  the  room. 

"Mr.  Bates  the  auctioneer,  wishes  to  see  you, 
sir,"  said  the  footman,  as  he  came  in. 

"Request  that  he  will  walk  in,"  replied  Mr. 
Campbell." 

Mr.  Bates,  the  auctioneer,  came  in,  and  presented 
a  letter  to  Mr.  Campbell,  who  requested  him  to  take 
a  chair  while  he  read  it.  It  was  from  Mr.  Douglas 
Campbell,  the  new  proprietor  of  the  estate,  request- 
ing Mr.  Bates  would  ascertain  if  Mr.  Campbell  was 
willing  that  the  furniture,  &c,  should  be  disposed 
of  by  valuation,  and  if  so,  requesting  Mr.  Bates  to 
put  a  liberal  value  on  it,  and  draw  upon  him  for  the 
amount. 

"  This  is  very  considerate  of  Mr.  Douglas  Camp- 
bell," observed  Mrs.  Campbell ;  "  of  course,  my  dear, 
you  can  have  no  objection." 

"None  whatever;  return  my  best  thanks  to  Mr. 
Douglas  Campbell  for  his  kindness  ;  and  Mr.  Bates, 
if  you  can  possibly  value  by  to-morrow  or  next  day, 
1  should  esteem  it  a  favor." 

"It  shall  be  done,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Bates,  who 
then  rose  and  took  his  leave. 

As  soon  as  the  valuation  was  finished,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell was  enabled  to  make  an  estimate  of  what  re- 
mained to  them  out  of  the  property,  and  found  that 
the  whole  sum  amounted  to  between  seventeen  and 
eighteen  hundred  pounds. 


THE    SETTLERS.  17 


CHAPTER  III. 

It  may  appear  strange  that  after  having  been  in 
possession  of  the  estate  for  ten  years,  and  consider- 
ing that  he  had  younger  children  to  provide  for,  Mr. 
Campbell  had  not  laid  up  a  larger  sum  ;   but  this 
can  be  fully  explained.     As  I  before  said,  the  estate 
was  in  very  bad  order  when  Mr.  Campbell  came  in- 
to possession,  and  he  devoted  a  large  portion  of  the 
income  to  improving  it ;  and,  secondly,  he  had  ex- 
pended a  considerable  sum  in  building  almshouses 
and  schools,  works  which  he  would  not  delay,  as  he 
considered  them  as  religious  obligations.     The  con- 
sequence was,  that  it  was  not  until  a  year  before  the 
claim  was  made  to  the  estate,  that  he  had  com- 
menced laying  by  for  his  younger  children;  and  as 
the  estate  was  then  worth  d£2,000  per  annum  more 
than  it  was  at  the  time  that  he  came  into  possession 
of  it,  he  had  resolved  to  put  by  d£5,000  per  annum, 
and  had  done  so  for  twelve  months.     The  enormous 
legal    expenses  had,   however,  swallowed    up   this 
sum,  and  more,   as  we   have   already  slated  ;    and 
thus  he  was  left  a  poorer  man  bv  some  hundreds 
than  he  was  when  the  property  fell  to  him.     The 
day  after  the  valuation,  the  eldest  son,  Henry,  made 
his  appearance  ;  he  seemed  much  dejected,  more  so 
than  his  parents,  and  those  who  knew  him  would 
have  supposed.     It  was,  however,  ascribed   to  his 
feeling  for  his  father  and   mother,  rather  than  for 
himself. 

Many  were  the  consultations  held  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  as  to  their  future  plans  ;  but  nothing 
at  all  feasible,  or  likely  to  prove  advantageous,  sug- 
gested itself  to  them.    With  only  sixteen  or  seven- 


18  THE   SETTLERS. 

teen  hundred  pounds,  they  scarcely  knew  where  to 
go,   or  how  to   act.     Return   to  his  profession  Mr. 
Campbell  knew  that  he  could  not,  with  any  chance 
of  supporting  his   family.     His   eldest  son,  Henry, 
might  obtain  a  situation,  but  he  was  really  fit  for 
nothing  but  the  bar  or  holy  orders ;  and  how  were 
they  to  support  him  till  he  could  support  himself? 
Alfred,  who  was  now  a  master's  mate,  could,  it  is 
true,  support  himself,  but  it  would  be  with  difficulty, 
and  there  was  little  chance  of  his  promotion.     Then 
there  were  the  two  other  boys,  and  the  two  girls 
growing  up  fast ;  in  short,  a  family  of  eight  people. 
To  put  so  small  a  sum  in  the  funds  would  be  useless, 
as  they  could  not  live  upon  the  interest  which   it 
would  give,  and  how  to  employ  it  they  knew  not. 
They  canvassed  the  matter  over  and  over,  but  with- 
out success,  and  each   night  they  laid  their  heads 
upon  the  pillow  more  and  more  disheartened.    They 
were  all  ready  to  leave  the  Hall,  but  knew  not  where 
to  direct  their  steps  when  they  left  it ;  and  thus  they 
continued  wavering  for  a  week,  until  they  were  em- 
braced by  their  son  Alfred,  who  had  made  all  speed 
to  join  them,  as  soon  as  the  ship  had   been  paid  off. 
After  the  first  joy  of  meeting   between  those  who 
had  been  separated  so  long,  was  over,  Mr.  Campbell 
said,  "  I'm  sorry,  Alfred,  that  I  could  not  give  your 
messmates  any  fishing." 

"And  so  am  I,  and  so  were  they,  for  your  sakes, 
my  dear  father  and  mother;  but  what  is,  is — and 
what  can't  be  helped,  can't — so  we  must  make  the 
best  of  it  ;  but  where's  Henry  and  my  cousins  ?" 

"  They  are  walking  in  the  park,  Alfred  ;  you  had 
better  join  them  ;  they  are  most  anxious  to  see  you." 

"I  will,  mother;  let  us  get  over  these  huggings 
and  kissings,  and  then  we  shall  be  more  rational :  so 
good- by  for  half  an  hour,"  said  Alfred,  kissing  his 
mother  again,  and  then  hastening  out  of  the  room. 

"His  spirits  are  not  subdued,  at  all  events,"  ob- 
*erved  Mrs.  Campbell.     "I  thank  God  for  it." 

Alfred  soon  fell  in  with  his  brother  and  his  cous* 


THE   SETTLERS.  ]& 

ins,  Mary  and  Emma,  and  after  the  huggings  and 
kissings,  as  he  termed  them,  were  over,  he  made  in- 
quiries into  the  real  state  of  his  father's  affairs. 
After  a  short  conversation,  Henry,  who  wae  very 
much  depressed  in  his  spirits,  said,  "Mary  and  Em- 
ma, perhaps  you  will  now  go  in  ;  I  wish  to  have 
some  conversation  with  Alfred." 

"You  are  terribly  out  of  heart,  Harry,"  observed 
Alfred,  after  his  cousins  had  left  ihem.  "  Are  things 
so  very  bad  ?" 

"  They  are  bad  enough,  Alfred  ;  but  what  makes 
me  so  low-spirited  is,  that  1  fear  my  folly  has  made 
them  worse." 

"  How  so  ?"  replied  Alfred. 

"The  fact  is,  that  my  father  has  but  d£1700  left 
in  the  world,  a  sum  small  enough  ;  but  what  annoys 
me  is  this.  When  I  was  at  college,  little  imagining 
such  a  reverse  of  fortune,  I  anticipated  my  allow- 
ance, because  I  knew  that  I  could  pay  at  Christmas, 
and  I  ran  in  debt  about  d£200.  My  father  always 
cautioned  me  not  to  exceed  my  allowance,  and  thinks 
that  I  have  not  done  so.  Now,  I  can  not  bear  the 
idea  of  leaving  college  in  debt,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  it  will  be  a  heavy  blow  to  my  poor  father,  if 
he  has  to  part  with  c£200,  out  of  his  trifling  re- 
mainder, to  pay  my  debt.  This  is  what  has  made 
me  so  unhappy.  I  can  not  bear  to  tell  him,  because 
I  feel  convinced  that  he  is  so  honorable,  he  will  pay 
it  immediately.  I  am  mad  with  myself,  and  really 
do  not  know  what  to  do.  I  do  nothing  but  reproach 
myself  all  day,  and  I  can  not  sleep  at  night.  1  have 
been  very  foolish,  but  I  am  sure  you  will  kindly  en- 
ter into  my  present  feelings.  I  waited  till  you  came 
home,  because  1  thought  you  had  belter  tell  my 
father  the  fact,  for  I  feel  as  if  I  should  die  with 
shame  and  vexation." 

"Look  you,  Harry,"  replied  Alfred,  "  as  for  out- 
running the  constable,  as  we  term  it  at  sea,  it's  a 
very  common  thing,  and,  all  things  considered,  no 
great  harm  done,  when  you  suppose  that  you  have 


20  THE   SETTLEKS. 

the  means,  and  intend  to  pay  ;  so  don't  lay  that  to 
heart.  That  you  would  give  your  right  hand  not  to 
have  done  so,  as  things  have  turned  out,  I  really 
believe  :  but,  however,  there  is  no  occasion  to  fret 
any  more  about  it.  I  have  received  three  years' 
pay,  and  the  prize-money  for  the  last  eighteen 
months,  and  there  is  still  more  due,  for  a  French 
privateer.  Altogether  it  amounts  to  c£250,  which  I 
had  intended  to  have  made  over  to  my  father,  now 
that  he  is  on  a  lee-shore ;  but  it  will  come  to  the 
same  thing,  whether  I  give  it  to  you  to  pay  your 
debts,  or  give  it  to  him,  as  he  will  pay  them,  if  you 
do  not ;  so  here  it  is,  take  Avhat  you  want,  and  hand 
me  over  what's  left.  My  father  don't  know  that  I 
have  any  money,  and  now  he  won't  know  it ;  at  the 
same  time  he  won't  know  that  you  owe  any  ;  so 
that  squares  the  account,  and  he  will  be  as  well  ofT 
as  ever." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  Alfred  ;  you  don't  know 
what  a  relief  this  will  be  to  my  mind.  Now  I  can 
look  my  father  in  his  face." 

"  I  hope  you  will  ;  we  are  not  troubled  with  such 
delicate  feelings  on  board-ship,  Harry.  I  should 
have  told  him  the  truth  long  before  this.  I  couldn't 
bear  to  keep  anything  on  my  conscience.  If  this 
misfortune  had  happened  last  cruize,  I  should  have 
been  just  in  your  position;  for  I  had  a  tailor's  bill  to 
pay  as  long  as  a  frigate's  pennant,  and  not  enough 
in  my  pocket  to  buy  a  mouse's  breakfast.  Now,  let's 
go  in  again,  and  be  as  merry  as  possible,  and  cheer 
them  up  a  little." 

Alfred's  high  spirits  did  certainly  do  much  to 
cheer  them  all  up ;  and  after  tea,  Mr.  Campbell, 
who  had  previously  consulted  his  wife,  as  soon  as 
the  servant  had  quilted  the  room,  entered  on  a  full 
explanation  of  the  means  which  were  left  to  them  ; 
and  staled,  that  he  wished  in  his  difficulty  to  put  the 
question  before  the  whole  family,  and  ascertain 
whether  any  project  might  come  into  their  heads 
upon  which    they   might  decide   and   act.     Henry, 


THE   SETTLERS.  21 

who  had  recovered  his  spirits  since  the  assistance  he 
had  received  from  Alfred,  was  desired  to  speak  first. 
He  replied : — 

"My  dear  father  and  mother,  if  you  can  not  be- 
tween you  hit  upon  any  plan,  I  am  afraid  it  is  not 
likely  that  I  can  assist  you.  All  I  have  to  say  is, 
that  whatever  may  be  decided  upon,  I  shall  most 
cheerfully  do  my  duty  toward  you  and  my  brothers 
and  sisters.  My  education  has  not  been  one  likely  to 
be  very  useful  to  a  poor  man,  but  I  am  ready  to  work 
with  my  hands  as  well  as  with  my  head,  to  the  best 
of  my  abilities.*' 

"  That  I  am  sure  of,  my  dear  boy,"  replied  his 
father. 

"Now,  Alfred,  we  must  look  to  you  as  our  last 
hope,  for  your  two  cousins  are  not  likely  to  give  us 
much  advice." 

"Well,  father,  I  have  been  thinking  a  good  deal 
about  it,  and  I  have  a  proposal  to  make  which  may 
at  first  startle  you,  but  it  appears  to  me  that  it  is 
our  only  and  our  best  resource.  The  few  hundred 
pounds  which  you  have  left  are  of  no  use  in  this 
country,  except  to  keep  you  from  starving  for  a  year 
or  two;  but  in  another  country  they  may  be  made 
to  be  worth  as  many  thousands.  In  this  country,  a 
large  family  becomes  a  heavy  charge  and  expense  ; 
in  another  country,  the  more  children  you  have,  the 
richer  man  you  are.  If,  therefore,  you  would  con- 
sent to  transport  your  family  and  your  present  means 
into  another  country,  instead  of  being  a  poor,  you 
might  be  a  rich  man." 

"  What  country  is  that,  Alfred  ?" 

"Why,  father,  the  purser  of  our  ship  nad  a 
brother,  who,  soon  after  the  French  were  beaten  out 
of  the  Canadas,  went  out  there  to  try  his  fortune. 
He  had  only  three  hundred  pounds  in  the  world  : 
he  has  been  there  now  about  four  years,  and  I  read 
a  letter  from  him  which  t.ie  purser  received  when 
the  frigate  arrived  at  Portsmouth,  in  which  he  states 
that  he  is  doing  well,  and  getting  rich  fast ;  that  he 


22  THE   SETTLERS. 

has  a  farm  of  five  hundred  acres,  of  which  two  hun- 
dred are  cleared  ;  and  thai  if  lie  only  had  some  chil- 
dren large  enough  to  help  him,  he  would  soon  be 
worth  ten  times  the  money,  as  he  would  purchase 
more  land  immediately.  Land  is  to  bought  there  at 
a  dollar  an  acre,  and  you  may  pick  and  choose. 
With  your  money,  you  might  buy  a  large  property  ; 
with  your  children,  you  might  improve  it  fast ;  and 
in  a  few  years,  you  would  at  all  events  be  comforta- 
ble, it'  not  flourishing,  in  your  circumstances.  Your 
children  would  work  for  you,  and  you  would  have 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  you  left  them  inde- 
pendent and  happy." 

"  I  acknowledge,  my  dear  boy,  that  you  have 
struck  upon  a  plan  which  has  much  to  recommend 
it.     Still  there  are  drawbacks." 

"Drawbacks!"  replied  Alfred,  "  yes,  to  be  sure, 
there  are ;  if  estates  were  to  be  picked  up  for 
merely  going  out  for  them,  there  would  not  be  many 
left  for  you  to  choose  ;  but,  my  dear  father,  I  know 
no  drawbacks  which  can  not  be  surmounted.  Let 
us  see  what  these  drawbacks  are.  First,  hard  la- 
bor ;  occasional  privation  ;  a  log-hut,  till  we  can  get 
abetter;  severe  winter;  isolation  from  the  world; 
occasional  danger,  even,  from  wild  beasts  and  sava- 
ges. I  grant  these  are  but  sorry  exchanges  for  such 
a  splendid  mansion  as  this — fine  furniture,  excellent 
cooking,  polished  society,  and  the  interest  one  feels 
for  what  is  going  on  in  our  own  country,  which  is 
daily  communicated  to  us.  Now,  as  to  hard  labor, 
I  and  Henry  will  take  as  much  of  that  off  your 
hands  as  we  can :  if  the  winter  is  severe,  there  is 
no  want  of  firewood  ;  if  the  cabin  is  rude,  at  least 
we  will  make  it  comfortable  ;  if  we  are  shut  out 
from  the  world,  we  shall  have  society  enough 
among  ourselves  ;  if  we  are  in  danger,  we  will  have 
firearms  and  stout  hearts  to  defend  ourselves  ;  aud, 
really,  I  do  not  see  but  we  may  be  very  happy,  very 
comfortable,  and,  at  all  events,  very  independent." 


THE   SETTLERS.  23 

"Alfred,  you  talk  as  if  you  were  going  with  us," 
said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  And  do  you  think  that  I  am  not,  my  dear  moth- 
er ?  Do  you  imagine  that  I  would  remain  here 
when  you  were  there,  and  my  presence  would  be 
useful?  No — no— I  love  the  service,  it  is  true,  but 
I  know  my  duty,  which  is,  to  assist  my  father  and 
mother  :  in  fact,  I  prefer  it  ;  a  midshipman's  ideas 
of  independence  are  very  great ;  and  I  had  rather 
range  the  wilds  of  America  free  and  independent, 
than  remain  in  the  service,  and  have  to  touch  my 
hat  to  every  junior  lieutenant,  perhaps  for  twenty 
years  to  come.  If  you  go,  I  go,  that  is  certain. 
Why,  I  should  be  miserable  if  you  went  without 
me  ;  I  should  dream  every  night  that  an  Indian  had 
run  away  with  Mary,  or  that  a  bear  had  eaten  up 
my  little  Emma." 

"  Well,  I'll  take  my  chance  of  the  Indian,"  replied 
Mary  Percival. 

"And  I  of  the  bear,"  said  Emma.  "Perhaps 
he'll  only  hug  me  as  tight  as  Alfred  did  when  he 
came  home." 

"  Thank  you,  miss,  for  the  comparison,"  replied 
Alfred,  laughing. 

"I  certainly  consider  that  your  proposal,  Alfred, 
merits  due  reflection,"  observed  Mrs.  Campbell. 
"  Your  father  and  I  will  consult,  and  perhaps  by  to- 
morrow morning  we  may  have  come  to  a  decision. 
Now  we  had  better  all  go  to  bed." 

"  I  shall  dream  of  the  Indian,  I  am  sure,"  said 
Mary. 

"And  I  shall  dream  of  the  bear,"  added  Emma, 
looking  archly  at  Alfred. 

"And  I  shall  dream  of  a  very  pretty  girl — that  I 
saw  at  Portsmouth,"  said  Alfred. 

"I  don't  believe  you,"  replied  Emma. 

Shortly  afterward  xWr.  Campbell  rang  the  bell  for 
the  servants ;  family  prayers  were  read,  and  all  re- 
tired in  good  spirits. 

The  next  morning  they  all  met  at  an  early  hour  ; 


24  THE   bi,TTLERS. 

and  after  Mr.  Campbell  had,  as  was  his  invariable 
rule,  read  a  portion  of  the  Bible,  and  a  prayer  of 
thankfulness,  they  sat  down  to  breakfast.  After 
breakfast  was  over,  Mr.  Campbell  said — 

"  My  dear  children,  last  night,  after  you  had  left 
us,  your  mother  and  I  had  a  long  consultation,  and 
we  have  decided  that  we  have  no  alternative  left  us 
but  to  follow  the  advice  which  Alfred  has  given:  if, 
then,  you  are  all  of  the  same  opinion  as  we  are,  we 
have  resolved  that  Ave  will  try  our  fortunes  in  the 
Canadas." 

"  I  am  certainly  of  that  opinion,"  replied  Henry. 

"  And  you,  my  girls  ?"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"We  will  follow  you  to  the  end  of  the  world,  un- 
cle," replied  Mary,  "  and  try  if  we  can  by  any  means 
in  our  power  repay  your  kindness  to  two  poor  or- 
phans." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  embraced  their  nieces,  for 
they  were  much  affected  by  Mary's  reply. 

After  a  pause,  Mrs.  Campbell  said — 

"  And  now  that  we  have  come  to  a  decision,  we 
must  commence  our  arrangements  immediately. 
How  shall  we  dispose  of  ourselves  ?  Come,  Alfred 
and  Henry,  what  do  you  propose  doing  ?" 

"I  must  return  immediately  to  Oxford,  to  settle 
my  affairs,  and  dispose  of  my  books  and  other  prop- 
erty." 

"  Shall  you  have  sufficient  money,  my  dear  boy, 
to  pay  everything  ?"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  Yes,  my  dear  father,"  replied  Henry,  coloring  up 
a  little. 

"  And  I,"  said  Alfred,  "  presume  that  I  can  be  of 
no  use  here  ;  therefore  I  propose  that  I  should  start 
for  Liverpool  this  afternoon  by  the  coach,  for  it  is 
from  Liverpool  that  we  had  better  embark.  I  shall 
first  write  to  our  purser  for  what  information  he  can 
procure,  and  obtain  all  I  can  at  Liverpool  from  other 
people.  As  soon  as  I  have  anything  to  communi- 
cate, I  will  write." 

"  Write  as  soon  as  you  arrive,  Alfred,  whether  you 


THE   SETTLERS.  25 

i 

have  anything  to  communicate  or  not ;  at  all  events, 
we  shall  know  of  your  safe  arrival." 

"J  will,  my  dear  mother." 

"  Have  you  money,  Alfred  ?" 

"  Yes,  quite  sufficient,  father.     I  don't  travel  with 

four  horses." 

"Well,  then,  we  will  remain  here  to  pack  up, 
Alfred;  and  you  must  look  out  for  some  moderate 
lodgings  for  us  to  go  into  as  soon  as  we  arrive  at  Liv- 
erpool? At  what  time  do  the  ships  sail  for  Quebec  ?" 
"  Just  about  this  time,  father.  This  is  March,  and 
they  will  now  sail  every  week  almost.  The  sooner 
■we  are  off  the  better,  that  we  may  be  comfortably 
housed  in  before  winter." 

A  few  hours  after  this  conversation,  Henry  and 
Alfred  left  the  hall  upon  their  several  destinations. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  two  girls  had  plenty 
of  employment  for  three  or  four  days  in  packing  up. 
It  was  soon  spread  through  the  neighborhood  that 
they  were  going  to  emigrate  to  Canada  ;  and  the 
tenants  who  had  held  their  farms  under  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, all  came  forward  and  proffered  their  wagons 
and  horses  to  transport  his  effects  to  Liverpool,  with- 
out his  being  put  to  any  expense. 

In  the  meantime  a  letter  had  been  received  from 
Alfred,  who  had  not  been  idle.  He  had  made  ac- 
quaintance with  some  merchants  who  traded  to  Can- 
ada, and  by  them  had  been  introduced  to  two  or 
three  persons  who  had  settled  there  a  few  years  be- 
fore, and  who  were  able  to  give  him  every  informa- 
tion. They  informed  him  what  was  most  advisable 
to  take  out ;  how  they  were  to  proceed  upon  their 
landing;  and,  what  was  of  more  importance,  the 
merchants  gave  him  letters  of  introduction  to  Eng- 
lish merchants  at  Quebec,  who  would  afford  them 
every  assistance  in  the  selecting  and  purchasing  of 
land,  and  in  their  transport  up  the  country.  Alfred 
had  also  examined  a  fine  timber-ship,  which  was  to 
sail  in  three  weeks;  and  had  bargained  for  the  price 
of  their  passage,  in  case  they  could  get  ready  in  time 
Vol.  1.-3  ~ 


26  THE   SETTLERS. 

to  go  by  her.  He  wrote  all  these  particulars  to  hi9 
father,  waiting  for  his  reply  to  act  upon  his  wishes. 

Henry  returned  from  Oxford,  having  settled  his 
accounts,  and  with  the  produce  of  the  sale  of  his 
classics  and  other  books  in  his  pocket.  He  was  full 
of  spirits,  and  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  his  father 
and  mother. 

Alfred  had  shown  so  much  judgment  in  all  he  had 
undertaken,  that  his  father  wrote  to  him  staling  that 
they  would  be  ready  for  the  ship  which  be  named, 
and  that  he  might  engage  the  cabins,  and  also  at 
once  procure  the  various  articles  which  they  were 
advised  to  take  out  with  them,  and  draw  upon  him 
fur  the  amount,  if  the  people  would  not  wait  for  the 
money.  In  a  fortnight  they  were  all  ready ;  the 
wagons  had  left  with  their  effects  some  days  before. 
Mr.  Campbell  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Douglas  Camp- 
bell, thanking  him  for  his  kindness  and  consideration 
to  them,  and  informing  him  that  they  should  leave 
Wexton  hall  on  the  following  day.  He  only  begged 
as  a  favor,  that  the  schoolmaster  and  schoolmistress 
of  the  village  school  should  be  continued  on,  as  it  was 
of  great  importance  that  the  instruction  of  the  poor 
should  not  be  neglected  ;  and  added,  that  perceiving 
by  the  newspapers  that  Mr.  Douglas  Campbell  bad 
lately  married,  Mrs.  Campbell  and  he  wished  him 
and  his  wife  every  happiness,  &c,  &c. 

Having  despatched  this  letter,  there  was  nothing 
more  to  be  done,  previous  to  their  departure  from 
the  hall,  except  to  pay  and  dismiss  the  few  servants 
who  were  with  them ;  for  Mrs.  Campbell  had  re- 
solved upon  taking  none  out  with  her.  That  after- 
noon they  walked  round  the  plantation  and  park  for 
the  last  time.  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  girls  went 
round  the  rooms  of  the  hall  to  ascertain  that  every- 
thing was  left  tidy,  neat,  and  clean.  The  poor  girls 
sighed  as  they  passed  by  the  harp  and  piano  in  the 
drawing-room,  for  they  were  old  friends. 

"  Never  mind,  Mary,"  said  Emma,  "  we  have  our 


THE   SETTLERS.  27 

guitars,  and  may  have  music  in  the  woods  of  Canada 
without  harp  or  piano." 

The  following  morning  the  coach,  of  which  they 
had  secured  the  whole  of  the  inside,  drove  up  to  the 
hall  door,  and  they<ell  got  in,  the  tenants  and  poor 
people  standing  round  them,  all  with  their  hats  in 
their  hands  out  of  respect,  and  wishing  them  every 
success  as  they  drove  away  through  the  avenue  to 
the  park  gates.  The  hall  and  the  park  itself  had 
been  long  out  of  sight  before  a  word  was  exchanged. 
They  checked  their  tears,  but  their  hearts  were  too 
full  lor  them  to  venture  to  speak. 

The  day  afterward  they  arrived  at  Liverpool, 
where  Alfred  had  provided  lodgings.  Everything 
had  been  sent  on  board,  and  the  ship  had  hauled  out 
in  the  stream.  As  they  had  nothing  to  detain  them 
on  shore,  and  the  captain  wished  to  take  advantage 
of  the  first  fair  wind,  they  all  embarked  four  days  af- 
ter their  arrival  at  Liverpool ;  and  I  shall  now  leave 
them  on  board  of  the  London  Merchant,  which  was 
the  name  of  the  vessel,  making  all  their  little  ar- 
rangements previous  to  their  sailing,  under  the  su- 
perintendence of  Alfred,  while  I  give  some  little 
more  insight  into  the  characters,  ages,  and  disposi- 
tions of  the  family. 


THE  SETTLEKS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  a  person  of  many  amiable 
qualities.  He  was  a  religious,  good  man,  very  fond 
of  his  Avife,  to  whose  opinions  he  yielded  in  prefer- 
ence to  his  own,  and  very  partial  to  his  children,  to 
whom  he  was  inclined  to  be  over  indulgent.  He 
was  not  a  person  of  much  energy  of  character,  but 
he  was  sensible  and  well-informed.  His  goodness 
of  heart  rendered  him  very  liable  to  be  imposed 
upon,  for  he  never  suspected  any  deceit,  notwith- 
standing he  was  continually  deceived.  His  charac- 
ter was,  therefore,  that  of  a  simple,  good,  honest 
man. 

Mrs.  Campbell  was  well  matched  with  him  as  a 
wife,  as  she  had  all  that  energy  and  decision  of  char- 
acter which  was  sometimes  wanting  in  her  husband. 
Still  there  was  nothing  masculine  in  her  manners  or 
appearance  ;  on  the  contrary,  she  was  delicate  in 
her  form,  and  very  soft  in  her  manners.  She  had 
great  firmness  and  self-possession,  and  had  brought 
up  all  her  children  admirably.  Obedience  to  their 
parents  was  the  principle  instilled  into  them  after 
their  duty  to  God  ;  for  she  knew  too  well  that  a  dis- 
obedient child  can  never  prosper.  If  ever  there  was 
a  woman  fitted  to  meet  the  difficulty  and  danger 
which  threatened  them,  it  was  Mrs.  Campbell,  for 
she  had  courage  and  presence  of  mind,  joined  to 
activity  and  cleverness. 

Henry,  the  eldest  son,  was  now  nearly  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  possessed  much  of  the  character 
of  his  father,  was  without  vice,  but  rather  inclined 
to  inaction  than  otherwise.    Much  was  to  be  ascribed 


THE    SETTLERS.  29 

to  his  education  and  college  life,  and  more  to  his 
natural  disposition. 

Alfred,  the  sailor,  was,  on  the  contrary,  full  of 
energy  and  active  in  everything,  patient  and  labo- 
rious, if  required,  and  never  taking  anything  in  hand 
without  finishing  it,  if  possible.  He  was  rough,  but 
not  rude,  both  in  his  speech  and  his  manners,  very 
kind-hearted,  at  the  same  time  very  confident  in 
himself  and  afraid  of  nothing. 

Mary  Percival  was  a  very  amiable,  reflective  girl, 
quiet  without  being  sad,  not  often  indulging  in  con- 
versation,  except  when  alone  with  her  sister  Emma. 
She  was  devotedly  attached  to  her  uncle  and  aunt, 
and  was  capable  of  more  than  she  had  any  idea  of 
herself,  for  she  was  of  a  modest  disposition,  and 
thought  humbly  of  herself.  Her  disposition  was 
sweet,  and  was  portrayed  in  her  countenance.  She 
was  now  seventeen  years  old,  and  very  much  ad- 
mired. 

Her  sister  Emma,  who  was  but  fifteen,  was  of  a 
very  different  disposition,  naturally  gay,  and  inclined 
to  find  amusement  in  everything— cheerful  as  the 
lark,  and  singing  from  morning  to  night.  Her  dis- 
position, owing  to  Mrs.  Campbell's  care  and  atten- 
tion, was  equally  amiable  as  her  sister's,  and  her 
high  spirits  seldom  betrayed  her  into  indiscretion. 
She  was  the  life  of  the  family  when  Alfred  was  away  : 
he  only  was  her  equal  in  high  spirits. 

Percival,  the  third  boy,  was  now  twelve  years  old  ; 
he  was  a  quiet,  clever  lad,  very  obedient  and  very 
attentive  to  what  was  told  him,  very  fond  of  obtain- 
ing information,  being  naturally  very  inquisitive. 

John,  the  fourth  boy,  was  ten  years  old — a  sturdy, 
John  Bull  sort  of  boy,  not  very  fond  of  learning,  but 
a  well-disposed  boy  in  most  things.  He  preferred 
anything  to  his  book  ;  at  the  same  time,  he  was 
obedient,  and  tried  to  keep  up  his  attention  as  well 
as  he  could,  which  was  all  that  could  be  expected 
from  a  boy  of  his  age.  He  was  very  slow  in  every- 
thing, very   quiet,  and   seldom   spoke    unless   firs/ 

3* 


50  THE   SETTLERS. 

spoken  to.  He  was  not  silly,  although  many  people 
would  have  thought  him  so,  but  he  certainly  was  a 
very  strange  boy,  and  it  was  difficult  to  say  what  he 
would  turn  out. 

I  have  now  described  the  family  as  they  appeared 
at  the  time  they  embarked  on  board  of  the  London 
Merchant ;  and  have  only  to  add,  that  on  the  third 
day  after  their  embarkation,  they  made  sail  with  a 
fair  wind,  and  ran  down  the  British  channel. 

The  London  Merchant  sailed  for  Cork,  where  the 
Norlh  American  convoy  were  to  assemble.  At  the 
time  «ve  speak  of,  the  war  had  recommenced  be- 
tween this  country  and  the  French,  who  were  suf- 
fering all  the  horrors  of  the  Revolution.  On  their 
arrival  at  Cork,  our  party  recovered  a  little  from  the 
sickness  to  which  all  are  subject  on  their  first  em- 
barkation. They  found  themselves  at  anchor  with 
more  than  a  hundred  merchant  vessels,  among  which 
were  to  be  perceived  the  lofty  masts  and  spars  of  a 
large  fifty-gun  ship,  and  two  small  frigates,  wbich 
were  appointed  to  convoy  them  to  their  destination. 

The  rest  of  the  party,  still  suffering,  soon  went 
down  below  again,  but  Alfred  remained  on  deck, 
leaning  against  the  bulwarks  of  the  vessel,  his  eyes 
and  his  thoughts  intently  fixed  upon  the  streaming 
pennants  of  the  men-of-war,  and  a  tear  rolled  down 
his  cheek,  as  he  was  reminded  that  he  no  longer 
could  follow  up  his  favorite  profession.  The  sacri- 
fice that  he  had  made  to  his  family  was  indeed  great. 
He  had  talked  lightly  of  it  before  them,  not  wishing 
them  to  believe  that  it  was  so.  He  had  not  told  his 
father  that  he  had  passed  his  examination  for  lieu- 
tenant before  he  had  been  paid  off  at  Portsmouth  ; 
and  that  his  captain,  who  was  very  partial  to  him, 
had  promised  that  he  should  soon  he  advanced  in  the 
service.  He  had  not  told  them  that  all  his  wishes, 
all  his  daily  hopes,  the  most  anxious  desire  of  his 
existence,  which  was  to  become  a  post-captain,  and 
in  command  of  a  fine  frigate,  were  blighted  by  this 
sacrifice  he  had  made  for  them  and  their  comfort. 


THE    SETTLERS.  31 

He  had  concealed  all  this,  and  assumed  a  mirth 
which  he  did  not  feel ;  but  now  that  he  was  alone, 
and  the  pennant  was  once  more  presented  to  his 
view,  his  regrets  could  not  be  controlled.  He  sighed 
deeply,  and  turning  away  with  his  arms  folded,  said 
to  himself — "  I  have  done  my  duty.  It  is  hard,  after 
having  served  so  long,  and  now  just  arrived  at  the 
time  in  which  I  have  reason  to  expect  my  reward — 
to  rise  in  the  service — distinguish  myself  by  my  zeal, 
and  obtain  a  reputation,  which,  if  it  pleased  God,  I 
would  have  done — very  hard,  to  have  to  leave  it 
now,  and  to  be  hid  in  the  woods,  with  an  axe  in  my 
hand  ;  but  how  could  I  leave  my  lather,  my  mother, 
and  my  brothers  and  sisters,  to  encounter  so  much 
difficulty  and  privation  by  themselves,  when  I  have 
a  strong  arm  to  help  them  !  No!  no!  I  have  done 
my  duty  to  those  who  ever  did  their  duty  to  me,  and 
I  trust  that  my  own  conscience  will  prove  my  re- 
ward, and  check  that  repining  which  we  are  too  apt  to 
feel  when  it  pleases  Heaven  to  blight,  what  appear 
to  be,  our  fairest  prospects.  ...  I  say,  my  good  fel- 
low," said  Alfred,  after  a  while,  to  a  man  in  a  boat, 
"  what  is  the  name  of  that  fifty-gun  ship  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  which  ship  has  fifty  guns,  or  which 
has  a  hundred,"  replied  the  Irishman,  "  but  if  you 
mean  the  biggest  of  the  three,  she  is  called  the 
Portsmouth." 

"  The  Portsmouth  !  the  very  ship  Captain  Lumley 
was  appointed  to,"  cried  Alfred.  "  I  must  go  on 
board." 

Alfred  ran  down  to  the  cabin,  and  requested  the 
captain  of  the  transport,  whose  name  was  Wilson, 
to  allow  him  the  small  boat  to  go  on  board  the  man- 
of-war.  His  request  was  grained,  and  Alfred  was 
soon  up  the  side  of  the  Portsmouth.  There  were 
some  of  his  old  messmates  on  the  quarter-deck,  who 
welcomed  him  heartily,  for  he  was  a  great  favorite. 
Shortly  afterward,  he  sent  down  a  message  by  the 
steward,  requesting  that  Captain  Lumley  would  see 


32  THE   SETTLERS. 

him,  and  was  immediately  afterward  ordered  to  go 
into  the  cabin. 

"Well,  Mr.  Campbell,"  said  Captain  Lumley,  "so 
you  have  joined  us  at  last ;  better  late  than  never. 
You're  but  just  in  time.  I  thought  you  would  soon 
get  over  that  foolish  whim  of  yours,  which  you  men- 
tioned in  your  letter  to  me,  of  leaving  the  service, 
just  after  you  had  passed,  and  had  such  good  chance 
of  promotion.  What  could  have  put  it  in  your 
head?" 

"Nothing,  sir,"  replied  Alfred,  "but  my  duly  to 
my  parents.  It  is  a  most  painful  step  for  me  to  take, 
but  I  leave  you  to  judge  whether  I  can  do  other- 
wise." 

Alfred  then  detailed  to  Captain  Lumley  all  that 
had  occurred,  the  resolution  which  his  father  and 
mother  had  taken,  and  their  being  then  on  board 
the  timber-ship,  and  about  to  proceed  to  their  new 
destination. 

Captain  Lumley  heard  Alfred's  story  without  in- 
terruption, and  then,  after  a  pause,  said,  "  I  think 
you  are  right,  my  boy,  and  it  does  you  honor.  Where 
you  are  going  to,  I  have  no  doubt  but  your  courage 
and  your  protection  will  be  most  important.  Yet  it 
is  a  pity  you  should  be  lost  to  the  service." 

"  I  feel  most  sincerely,  sir,  I  assure  you,  but" 

"But  you  sacrifice  yourself;  I  know  that.  I  ad- 
mire the  resolution  of  your  father  and  mother.  Few 
could  have  the  courage  to  have  taken  such  a  step — 
few  women,  especially.  I  shall  call  upon  them,  and 
pay  my  respects.  In  half  an  hour  I  shall  be  ready, 
and  you  shall  accompany  me,  and  introduce  me.  In 
the  meantime,  you  can  go  and  see  your  old  mess- 
mates." 

Alfred  left  the  cabin,  much  flattered  by  the  kind- 
ness of  Captain  Lumley,  and  went  down  to  his  for- 
mer messmates,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the 
boatswain  piped  away  the  crew  of  the  captain's 
barge  He  then  went  on  deck,  and  as  soon  as  the 
captain  came  up,  he  went  into  the  boat.     The  cap- 


THE   SETTLERS.  33 

tain  followed,  and  they  were  soon  on  board  of  the 
London  Merchant.  Alfred  introduced  Captain  Lum- 
ley  to  his  father  and  mother ;  and  in  the  course  of 
half  an  hour,  being  mutually  pleased  with  each 
other,  an  intimacy  was  formed,  when  Captain  Lumley 
observed — "  I  presume,  that  much  as  you  may  re- 
quire your  son's  assistance  on  your  arrival  at  Canada, 
you  can  dispense  with  his  presence  on  board  of  this 
vessel.  My  reason  for  making  this  observation  is, 
that  no  chance  should  ever  be  thrown  away.  One 
of  my  lieutenants  wishes  to  leave  the  ship  on  family 
concerns.  He  has  applied  to  me,  and  I  have  consid- 
ered it  my  duty  to  refuse  him,  now  that  we  are  on 
the  point  of  sailing,  and  I  am  unable  to  procure 
another.  But  for  your  son's  sake,  I  will  now  permit 
him  to  go,  and  will,  if  you  will  allow  him  to  come 
on  board  of  the  Portsmouth,  give  Alfred  an  acting 
lieutenant's  order.  Should  anything  occur  on  the 
passage  out,  and  it  is  not  at  all  impossible,  it  will 
ensure  his  promotion  ;  even  if  nothing  occurs,  I  will 
have  his  acting  order  confirmed.  At  Quebec,  he 
shall,  of  course,  leave  the  ship  and  go  with  you.  I 
don't  pretend  to  detain  him  from  his  duly  ;  but  you 
will  observe,  that  if  he  does  obtain  his  rank,  he  will 
also  obtain  his  half-pay,  which,  if  he  remains  in 
Canada  with  you,  will  be  a  great  assistance  ;  and  if 
things  should  turn  out  so  well,  that  you  can,  after  a 
year  or  two,  do  without  him,  and  allow  him  to  return 
to  the  service,  he  will  then  have  already  gained  the 
most  important  step,  and  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  soon 
rise  to  the  command  of  a  ship.  I  will  give  you  till 
to-morrow  to  decide.  Alfred  can  come  on  board  in 
the  morning,  and  let  me  know." 

"  I  think  I  may  say,  Captain  Lumley,"  replied 
Mrs.  Campbell,  "  that  my  husband  could  have  but 
one  reason  in  hesitating  a  moment,  and  that  is,  to 
ascertain  whether  I  would  like  to  part  with  my  son 
during  our  passage  out.  I  should,  indeed,  be  a  very 
weak  woman,  if  I  did  not  make  such  a  trifling  sac- 
ifice  for  his  benefit,  and,  at  the  same  time,  feel  most 


34  THE   SETTLERS. 

grateful  to  you  for  your  kind  intentions  toward  hiu\ 
I  rather  think  that  Mr.  Campbell  will  not  find  it 
necessary  to  have  till  to-morrow  morning  to  consider 
the  proposal ;  but  I  leave  him  to  answer  for  himself." 

"  I  can  assure  you,  Captain  Lumley,  that  Mrs. 
Campbell  has  only  expressed  my  own  feelings,  and, 
as  far  as  we  are  concerned,  your  offer  is  most  grate- 
fully accepted." 

"Then,  Alfred,"  replied  Captain  Lumley,  "has 
only  to  make  his  appearance  on  board  of  the  Ports- 
mouth to-morrow  morning,  and  he  will  find  his  act- 
ing order  ready  for  him.  We  sail,  I  believe,  the  day 
after,  if  the  weather  is  at  all  favorable  ;  so,  if  I  have 
not  another  opportunity  to  pay  my  respects  to  you, 
you  must  allow  me  to  say  farewell  now.  I  shall 
keep  my  eye  upon  your  vessel  during  the  passage; 
at  all  events,  Alfred  will,  I'm  very  sure." 

Captain  Lumley  shook  hands  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Campbell,  bowed  to  the  rest  of  the  cabin  party,  and 
quitted  the  ship.  As  he  went  over  the  side,  he 
observed  to  Alfred,  "  I  perceive  you  have  some 
attractions  in  your  party.  It  is  quite  melancholy 
to  think  that  those  pretty  cousins  of  yours  should  be 
buried  in  the  woods  of  Canada.  To-morrow,  at  nine 
o'clock,  then,  I  shall  expeet  you. — Adieu!" 

Although  the  idea  of  Alfred  leaving  them  during 
the  passage  out  was  not  pleasant,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Campbell  were  most  happy  at  the  chance  which  had 
offered  itself  for  their  son's  advantage,  and  seemed 
in  good  spirits  when  he  took  leave  of  them  on  the 
following  morning. 

"  Captain  Wilson,  you  sail  so  well,  that  I  hope 
you  will  keep  close  to  us  all  the  passage  out,"  ob- 
served Alfred,  as  he  was  taking  leave. 

"Except  you  happen  to  come  to  action  with  aD 
enemy,  and  then  I  shall  haul  off  to  a  respectful  dis- 
tance, Mr.  Alfred,"  replied  Captain  Wilson,  laughing. 

"  That,  of  course.  Cannon-balls  were  never  in- 
vented for  ladies,  although  they  have  no  objection  to 
balls  —  have  they,   Emma?     Well,  good-by  !  once 


THE    SETTLERS.  ? 

more.     You  can  often  see  me  with  the  spy-glass  if 
you  feel  inclined.     Recollect  that." 

Alfred  shoved  off  in  the  boat,  and  was  soon  on 
board  of  the  Portsmouth.  The  following  day  they 
sailed  with  a  fair  wind  and  moderate  weather  ;  the 
convoy  now  increased  to  120  vessels. 

We  must  leave  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  and  family 
OH  board  t^p  London  Merchant,  and  follow  Alfred  in 
the  Portsmouth,  during  the  passage  to  Quebec. 

For  several  days  the  weather  was  moderate,  aU 
though  the  wind  was  not  always  fair,  and  the  convoy 
was  kept  together,  and  in  good  order. 

The  London  Merchant  was  never  far  away  from 
the  Portsmouth,  and  Alfred  employed  a  large  portion 
of  his  time,  when  he  was  not  keeping  his  watch,  in 
keeping  his  spy-glass  upon  the  vessel,  and  watching 
the  motions  of  his  cousins  and  the  rest  of  the  family. 
On  board  of  the  London  Merchant  they  were  simi- 
larly occupied,  and  very  often  a  handkerchief  was 
waved  by  way  of  salute  and  recognition.  At  last 
they  arrived  off  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  and 
were  shrouded  in  a  heavy  fog,  the  men-of-war  con- 
stantly firing  guns,  to  inform  the  merchant-ships  in 
what  direction  they  were  to  steer,  and  the  merchant 
vessels  of  the  convoy  ringing  their  bells,  to  warn 
each  other,  that  they  might  not  be  run  foul  of. 

The  fog  lasted  two  days,  and  was  still  continuing 
when  the  party  on  board  the  London  Merchant,  just 
as  they  were  sitting  down  to  dinner  in  the  cabin, 
heard  a  noise  and  bustle  on  deck.  Captain  Wilson 
ran  hastily  up,  and  found  that  his  vessel  had  been 
boarded  by  a  French  boat's  crew,  who  had  beaten 
down  the  men  and  taken  possession.  As  there  was 
no  help,  all  he  could  do  was  to  go  down  to  the  cabin, 
and  inform  his  passengers  that  they  were  prisoners. 
The  shock  of  this  intelligence  was  very  great,  as 
may  be  supposed,  but  still  there  was  no  useless 
lamentation  or  weeping.  One  thing  is  certain,  that 
this  news  quite  spoiled  their  appetite  for  their  din- 
ner, which,  however,  was  soon  despatched  by  th« 


36  THE   SETTLERS. 

French  officer  and  his  men,  after  the  boat  had  left, 
and  the  vessel's  head  had  been  put  in  an  opposite 
direction. 

Captain  Wilson,  who  had  returned  on  deck,  came 
down  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  informed 
the  party,  who  were  silently  brooding  over  this  sud- 
den change  in  their  prospects,  that  the  wind  was 
very  light,  and  that  he  thought  the  fog  was  clearing 
off  a  little,  and  that  if  it  did  so  before  it  was  dark,  he 
was  in  great  hopes  that  they  should  be  recaptured. 
This  intelligence  appeared  to  revive  the  hopes  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  and  they  were  still  more 
encouraged  when  they  heard  the  sound  of  guns  at 
no  very  great  distance.  In  a  few  minutes  afterward 
the  cannonading  became  very  furious,  and  the 
Frenchmen  who  were  on  board  began  to  show  strong 
signs  of  uneasiness. 

The  fact  was,  that  a  French  squadron,  of  one  sixty- 
gun  ship  and  two  corvettes,  had  been  on  the  lookout 
for  the  convoy,  and  had  come  in  among  them  during 
the  fog.  They  had  captured  and  taken  possession 
of  several  vessels  before  they  were  discovered,  but 
the  sixty-gun  ship  at  last  ran  very  near  to  the  Ports- 
mouth ;  and  Alfred,  who  had  the  watch,  and  was  on 
a  sharp  lookout,  soon  perceived  through  the  looming 
fog  that  she  was  not  one  of  the  convoy.  He  ran 
down  to  acquaint  the  captain,  and  the  men  weie  im- 
mediately ordered  to  their  quarters,  without  beat- 
ing the  drum,  or  making  any  noise,  that  might  let 
the  enemy  know  they  were  so  near.  The  yards 
were  then  braced  in,  to  check  the  way  of  the  Ports- 
mouth, so  that  the  strange  vessel  might  come  up 
with  her.  Silence  was  kept  fore  and  aft,  not  a  whis- 
per was  to  be  heard  ;  and  as  the  Frenchman,  neared 
them,  they  perceived  a  boat  putting  off  from  her  to 
board  another  vessel  close  to  them,  and  also  heard  the 
orders  given  to  the  men  in  the  French  language.  This 
was  sufficient  for  Captain  Lumley :  he  put  the  helm 
down,  and  poured  a  raking  broadside  into  the  ene- 
my, who  was  by  no  means  prepared  for  such  a  sud* 


THE    SETTLERS.  37 

den  salute,  although  her  guns  were  cast  loose,  ready 
for  action,  in  case  of  accident.  The  answer  to  the 
broadside  was  a  cry  of  "  Vive  la  republique  /"  and, 
in  a  few  seconds,  both  ships  were  hotly  engaged— 
the  Portsmouth  having  the  advantage  of  lying°upon 
the  bow  of  her  antagonist. 

As   is   often    the   case,    the    heavy   cannonading 
brought  on  a  dead  calm,  and  the  two  ships  remained 
in  their  respective  positions,  except  that  the  Ports- 
mouth's was  the  more  favorable,  having  drawn  ahead 
of  the  French  vessel,  so   that   her    broadside  was 
poured  into  her  opponent,  without  her  being  able  to 
return  the  fire  from  more  than  four  or  five  of  her 
guns.      The  fog  became  more  opaque  than  ever; 
the  two  ships  had  neared  each  other  considerably, 
or  it  would    have  been  impossible  to  distinguish. 
All  that  they  could  see  from  the  deck  of  the  Ports- 
mouth was  the  jib-boom  and  cap  of  the  bowsprit  of 
the  Frenchman,  the  rest  of  her  bowsprit,  and  her 
whole  hull,  were  lost  in  the  impenetrable  gloom  ; 
but  that  was  sufficient  for  the  men  to  direct  their 
guns,  and  the  fire  from  the  Portsmouth  was  most 
rapid,  although  the  extent  of  its  execution  was  un- 
known.    After  half  an  hour  of  incessant  broadsides, 
the  two  vessels  had  approached  each  other  so  close, 
that  the  jib-boom  of  the  Frenchman  was  pointed  be- 
tween the  fore  and  main  rigging  of  the  Portsmouth. 
Captain  Lumley  immediately  gave  orders  to  lash  the 
Frenchman's  bowsprit  to  his  mainmast,  and  this  was 
accomplished  by  the  first  lieutenant,  Alfred,  and  the 
seamen,  without  any  serious  loss  ;  for  the  fog  was 
still  so  thick,  that  the  Frenchmen  on  their  forecastle 
could  not  perceive  what  was  doing  at  their  bow- 
sprit's cap. 

"  She  is  ours  now,"  said  Captain  Lumley  to  the 
first  lieutenant. 

"Yes,  sir— fast  enough.     I  think,  if  the  fog  were 
to  clear  away,  they  would  haul  down  their  colors." 

"  Not  till  the  last,  depend  upon  it,"  replied  Cap- 
tain Lumley.    «  Fire  away  there,  on  the  main-deck; 
Vol.  I. 


33 


THE   SETTLERS. 


give  them  no  time  to  take  breath.  Mr.  Campbell, 
tell  the  second  lieutenant  to  let  the  foremost  lower- 
deck  guns  be  pointed  more  aft.  I  say,  not  till  the 
last,"  repeated  Captain  Lumley  to  the  first  lieuten- 
ant ;  "  these  republicans  will  take  a  great  deal  of 
beating,  even  upon  the  water." 

"It's  clearing  up,  sir,  to  the  northward  a  little," 
said  the  master. 

"  I  see — yes,  it  is,"  replied  Captain  Lumley. 
"  Well,  the  sooner  the  better ;  we  shall  see  what 
has  become  of  all  the  shot  we  have  been  throwing 
away. 

A  white  silvery  line  appeared  on  the  horizon,  to 
the  northward  ;  gradually  it  increased,  and  as  it  rose 
up,  became  broader,  till  at  last  the  curtain  was  lifted 
up,  and  a  few  feet  were  to  be  seen  above  the  clear 
blue  water.     As  it  continued  to  approach,  the  light 
became  more  vivid,  the  space  below  increased,  and 
the  water  was  ruffled  with  the  coming  wind,  till  at 
last  the  fog  rolled  off  as  if  it  had  been  gradually 
furled,  and  sweeping  away  in  a  heavy  bank  to  lee- 
ward, exposed  the  state  and  position  of  the  whole 
convoy,  and  the  contending  vessels.     The  English 
seamen  on  board  of  the  Portsmouth  cheered  the  re- 
turn of  daylight,  as  it  might  truly  be  termed.     Cap- 
tain Lumley  found  that  they  had  been  contending  in 
the  very  centre  of  the  convoy,  which  were  still  lying 
around   them,  with  the  exception  of  about  fifteen 
vessels,  which  were  a  few  miles  apart,  with  their 
heads  in   an  opposite  direction.     These  were  evi 
denily  those  which  had  been  captured.     The  two 
frigates,  which  had  been  stationed  in  the  rear  of  the 
convoy,  were  still  two  or  three  miles  distant,  but 
making  all   sail   to  come  up  and  assist  the  Ports- 
mouth.    Many  of  the  convoy,  which  had  been  in  the 
dir.*Mion  of  the  fire,  appeared  to  have  suffered  in 
their  masts  and   sails;  but  whether  any  injury  had 
been  received  in  their  hulls  it  was  not  possihle  to 
say.     The   French    line-of-battle  ship  had  suffered 
dreadfully  from  the  fire  of  the   Portsmouth.     Her 


THE   SETTLERS. 


39 


main-mast  and  mizen-mast  were  over  the  side,  her 
forward  ports  were  many  of  them  almost  beat  into 
one,  and  everything  on  board  appeared  to  be  in  the 
greatest  confusion. 

"  She  can't  stand  this  long,"  observed  Captain 
Lumley.     "  Fire  away,  my  lads." 

"The  Circe  and  Vixen  are  coming  down  to  us, 
sir,"  observed  the  first  lieutenant  ;  "we  do  not  want 
them,  and  they  will  only  be  an  excuse  for  the  French- 
man to  surrender  to  a  superior  force.  If  they  re- 
captured the  vessels  taken,  they  would  be  of  some 
service." 

"Very  true.  Mr.  Campbell,  make  their  signal  to 
pursue  captured  vessels." 

Alfred  ran  aft  to  obey  the  orders.  The  flags  had 
just  flown  out  at  the  mast-head,  when  he  received 
a  bullet  through  his  arm  ;  for  the  French,  unable  to 
use  the  major  portion  of  their  guns,  had,  when  the 
fog  cleared  up,  poured  in  incessant  volleys  of  mus- 
ketry upon  the  decks  of  the  Portsmouth.  Alfred  de- 
sired the  quartermaster  to  untie  his  neck-handker- 
chief for  him,  and  bind  up  his  arm.  Having  so  done, 
he  continued  to  do  his  duty.  A  bold  attempt  was 
now  made  by  the  French  to  clear  their  vessel  by  cut- 
ting the  fastenings  of  the  bowsprit :  but  the  marines 
of  the  Portsmouth  were  prepared  for  them,  and  after 
about  twenty  gallant  fellows  had  dropped  down  on 
the  booms  and  gangways  of  the  Portsmouth,  the  at- 
tempt was  given  up,  and  four  minutes  afterward  the 
French  colors  were  hauled  down.  She  was  boarded 
from  her  bowsprit  by  the  first  lieutenant  and  a  party 
of  seamen.  The  lashings  were  cast  off,  and  the 
vessels  cleared  of  each  other,  and  then  the  English 
seamen  gave  three  cheers  in  honor  of  the  victory. 


40  THE   SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  French  sixty-gun  ship  proved  to  be  the  Le- 
onidas  ;  she  had  been  sent  out  with  two  large  frig- 
ates on  purpose  to  intercept  the  convoy,  but  she  had, 
parted  with  her  consorts  in  a  gale  of  wind.  Herloss 
of  men  was  very  great ;  that  on  board  of  the  Ports- 
mouth was  trifling.  In  a  couple  of  hours  the  Ports- 
mouth and  her  prize  in  tow  were  ready  to  proceed 
with  the  convoy,  but  they  still  remained  hove  to,  to 
wait  for  the  frigates  which  were  in  chase  of  the  cap- 
tured vessels.  All  of  these  were  speedily  come  up 
with  except  the  London  Merchant,  which  sailed  so 
remarkably  well.  At  last,  to  the  great  joy  of  Alfred 
(who,  as  soon  as  the  bullet  had  been  extracted  and 
his  arm  dressed,  had  held  his  telescope  fixed  upon 
the  chase),  she  hove  to,  and  was  taken  possession 
of.  Before  night,  the  convoy  were  again  collected 
together,  and  were  steering  for  their  destination. 
The  next  morning  was  clear,  and  the  breeze  moder- 
ate. Mrs.  Campbell,  who,  as  well  as  all  the  rest, 
was  very  anxious  about  Alfred,  requested  Captain 
Wilson  to  run  down  to  the  Portsmouth,  that  they 
might  ascertain  if  he  was  safe.  Captain  Wilson  did 
as  she  requested,  and  writing  in  chalk  "All  well" 
in  large  letters  upon  the  log-board,  held  it  over  the 
side  as  he  passed  close  to  the  Portsmouth.  Alfred 
was  not  on  deck — fever  had  compelled  him  to  re- 
main in  his  hammock — but  Captain  Lumley  made 
the  same  reply  on  the  log-board  of  the  Portsmouth, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  were  satisfied. 

"  How  I  should  like  to  see  him  !"  said  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. 

"  Yes,  madam,"  observed  Captain  Wilson,  "  bul 


THE   SETTLERS. 


41 


they  have  too  much  to  do  on  board  of  the  Portsmouth 
just  now  ;  they  have  to  repair  damages,  and  to  look 
after  the  wounded  ;  they  have  a  great  quantity  of 
prisoners  on  board,  as  you  may  see,  for  a  great  many 
are  now  on  the  booms  ;  they  have  no  time  for  com- 
pliments." 

"  That  is  very  true,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell ;"  we 
must  wait  till  we  arrive  at  Quebec." 

"  But  we  did  not  see  Alfred,"  said  Emma. 
"  No,  miss,  because  he  was  busy  enough  below, 
and  I  dare  say  no  one  told  him.  They  have  said 
that  all's  well,  and  that  is  sufficient ;  and  now  we 
must  haul  off  again,  for  with  such  a  heavy  ship  in 
tow,  Captain  Lumley  will  not  thank  A*e  if  I  am  al- 
ways coming  so  close  to  him." 

"  I  am  satisfied,  Captain  Wilson ;  pray  do  noth- 
ing that  might  displease  Captain  Lumley.  We 
shall  soon  see  Alfred,  I  dare  say,  with  the  spy- 
glass." .  .      , 

"  I  see  him  now,"  said  Mary  Percival ;  "  he  has 
his  telescope,  and  he  is  waving  his  hat  to  me." 

"Thank  God,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell;  "now  I 
am  satisfied." 

The  Portsmouth  cast  off  the  French  hne-of-battle 
ship,  as  soon  as  they  had  jury-masts  up  and  could 
make  sail  on  them,  and  the  convoy  proceeded  to  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

"Captain  Wilson,"  said  Percival,  whose  eyes 
were  fixed  on  the  water,  "  what  animals  are  those, 
tumbling  about  and  blowing— those  great  white 
things?" 

"  They  are  what  are  called  the  white  whale,  Per- 
cival," replied  Captain  Wilson  ;  "  they  are  not  often 
seen,  except  about  here." 

"  Then  what  is  the  color  of  the  other  whales  ?" 
"  The  northern  whales  are  black— they  are  called 
the  black  whales  ;  but  the  southern  or  spermaceti 
whales,  are  not  so  dark  in  color." 

Captain  Wilson  then,  at  Percival's  request,  gave 
him  an  account  of  how  the  whales  were  caught,  for 

4* 


42  THE   SETTLERS. 

he  -.ad  been  several  voyages  himself  in  ihe  northern 
whale-fishery. 

Percival  was  never  tired  of  asking  questions,  and 
Captain  Wilson  was  very  kind  to  him,  and  always 
answered  him.  John,  generally  speaking,  stood  by 
when  Captain  Wilson  was  talking,  looking  very 
solemn  and  very  attentive,  but  not  saying  a  word. 

"  Well,  John,"  said  Emma  to  him  after  the  con- 
versation had  been  ended,  "what  was  Captain  Wil- 
son telling  you  about  ?" 

"  Whales,"  replied  John,  walking  past  her. 

"  Well,  but  is  that  all  you  can  tell  me,  John?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  John,  walking  away. 

"At  all  events,  Miss  Emma,  he  keeps  all  his 
knowledge  to  himself,"  observed  Captain  Wilson, 
laughing. 

"  Yes  ;  I  shall  know  nothing  about  the  whale- 
fishery,  unless  you  will  condescend  to  tell  me  your- 
self, that  is  evident,"  replied  Emma,  taking  the  of- 
fered arm  of  Captain  Wilson,  who,  at  her  request, 
immediately  resumed  the  subject. 

In  three  weeks  from  the  day  of  the  action  they 
had  anchored  off  the  town  of  Quebec. 

As  soon  as  they  had  anchored,  Alfred  obtained 
leave  to  go  on  board  of  the  London  Merchant,  and 
then,  for  the  first  time,  his  family  knew  that  he  had 
been  wounded.  His  arm  was  still  in  a  sling,  but 
was  healing  fast. 

I  shall  pass  over  the  numerous  inquiries  on  his 
part  relative  to  their  capture  and  recapture,  and  on 
theirs,  as  to  the  action  with  the  French  ship. 

While  they  were  in  conversation,  Captain  Lumley 
was  reported  to  be  coming  on  board  in  his  boat. 
They  went  on  the  deck  of  the  vessel  to  receive  him. 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Campbell,"  said  Captain  Lumley, 
after  the  first  salutations  were  over,  "  you  must  con- 
gratulate me  on  my  having  captured  a  vessel  some- 
what larger  than  my  own  ;  and  I  must  congratulate 
you  on  the  conduct  and  certain  promotion  of  your 
Eon  Alfred.     He  has  richly  deserved  it." 


THE    SETTLERS.  43 

"I  am  very  thankful,  Captain  Lumley,  and  do 
most  heartily  congratulate  you,"  replied  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell ;  "  I  only  regret  that  my  boy  has  been  wound- 
ed."' 

"  The  very  thing  that  you  should,  on  the  contrary, 
be  thankful  for,  Mrs.  Campbell,"  replied  Captain 
Lumley.  "  It  is  the  most  fortunate  wound  in  the 
world,  as  it  not  only  adds  to  his  claims,  but  enables 
me  to  let  him  join  you  and  go  to  Canada  with  you, 
without  it  being  supposed  that  he  has  quitted  the 

service." 

"  How  so,  Captain  Lumley  ? 

"I  can  discharge  him  to  sick-quarters  here  at 
Quebec.  If  they  think  anything  about  it  at  all  at 
home,  it  will  be  that  his  wound  is  much  more  severe 
than  it  really  is ;  and  he  can  remain  on  half-pay  as 
Ion"  as  he  pleases.  There  are  plenty  ready  to  be 
employed.  But  I  can  not  wait  any  longer.  I  am 
foing  on  shore  to  call  upon  the  governor,  and  I 
thought  I  would  just  see  you  in  my  way.  You  may 
assure  yourselves  that  if  I  can  be  of  any  use  to  you, 
I  will  not  fail  to  exert  any  little  influence  I  may 

have."  ,.  •  i  c  .1 

Captain  Lumlev  then  took  a  cordial  leave  oi  the 
whole  partv,  telling  Alfred  that  he  might  consider 
himself  as  discharged  from  the  ship,  and  might  re- 
join his  family-  , 
"Heaven  sends  us  friends  when  we  most  need 
them  and  least  expect  them,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell, 
as  she  watched  the  boat  pulling  away  ;  "  who  would 
have  imagined,  when  we  anchored  at  Cork,  that 
such  good  fortune  should  have  awaited  us ;  and  that 
at  the  very  time  Alfred  had  given  up  his  profession 
for  our  sake,  his  promotion  in  the  service  was  await- 
ing him  ?"                                      .             • 

Shortly  afterward  Mrs.  Campbell  and  Henry  went 
on  shore  with  Captain  Wilson  to  look;  out  for  lodg- 
ings, and  present  the  letters  of  introduction  which 
he°bad  received  for  some  Quebec  merchants.  As 
they  were  looking  for  lodgings  in  company  with  a 


44  THE   SETTLERS. 

Mr.  Farquhar,  who  had  kindly  volunteered  to  assist 
them,  iliey  met  Captain  Lumley  on  his  return  from 
the  governor. 

"I  am  glad  to  have  met  you,  Mrs.  Campbell," 
said  Captain  Lumley  ;  "  I  found,  on  paying  my  re- 
spects 10  the  governor,  that  there  is  what  they  call 
the  Admiralty  House  here,  which  is  kept  furnished 
by  government  for  the  senior  officers  of  his  majesty's 
ships.  It  is  at  my  disposal ;  and  as  the  governor  has 
requested  me  to  take  up  my  abode  at  Government 
House,  I  beg  you  will  consider  it  at  your  service. 
You  will  find  better  accommodation  there  than  in 
lodgings,  and  it  will  save  you  considerable  ex- 
pense." 

"  We  need  look  no  further,  Mrs.  Campbell,"  said 
Mr.  Farquhar. 

Mrs.  Campbell  expressed  her  acknowledgments 
to  Captain  Lumley,  and  returned  on  board  with  this 
pleasing  intelligence. 

"  Oh,  Alfred,  how  much  we  are  indebted  to  you, 
my  dear  boy,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  To  me,  mother  ?  to  Captain  Lumley,  I  should 
rather  think." 

"  Yes,  to  Captain  Lumley,  I  grant ;  but  still  it  has 
been  your  good  conduct  when  under  his  command 
which  has  made  him  attached  to  you  ;  and  it  is  to 
that  we  owe  his  acquaintance,  and  all  the  kindness 
we  have  received  from  him." 

The  next  day  the  family  disembarked  and  took 
possession  of  the  Admiralty  House.  Mr.  Farquhar 
procured  them  a  female  servant,  who,  with  a  man 
and  his  wife  left  in  charge  of  the  house,  supplied  all 
the  attendance  they  required.  Mrs.  Campbell  set- 
tled with  Captain  Wilson,  who  very  generously  re- 
fused to  take  any  money  for  Alfred's  passage,  as  he 
had  not  remained  on  board  the  London  Merchant; 
promising,  however,  to  accept  their  invitation  to 
come  to  them  whenever  he  could  find  leisure,  he 
took  have  of  them  for  the  present,  and  they  were 
left  alone  in  their  new  residence. 


THE    SETTLERS.  45 

In  a  few  days  the  Campbells  found  themselves 
comfortably  settled  in  the  Admiralty  House,  but  they 
had  no  intention  of  remaining  there  longer  than  was 
necessary  ;  as,  notwithstanding  the  accommodation, 
their  residence  at  Quebec  was  attended  with  expense, 
and  Mr.  Campbell  was  aware  that  he  had  no  money 
to  throw  away. 

On  the  fourth  day  after  their  landing,  Captain 
Lumley  called  to  take  leave  ;  but  the  day  previous 
he  had  introduced  them  to  the  governor,  who  re- 
turned Mr.  Campbell's  call,  and  appeared  to  be  much 
interested  in  their  welfare,  owing  of  course  to  the 
representations  of  Captain  Lumley.  It  was  not, 
therefore,  surprising  that  they  should  part  with  re- 
gret from  one  who  had  proved  himself  such  a  kind 
friend  ;  and  many  were  the  expressions  of  gratitude 
which  were  made  by  the  whole  party.  Captain 
Lumley  shook  hajids  with  them  all ;  and,  assuring 
Alfred  that  he  would  not  lose  sight  of  his  interests, 
wished  them  every  success,  and  left  the  house.  An 
hour  afterward  the  Portsmouth  was  under  weigh, 
and  running  out  with  a  fine  breeze. 

On  the  following  day  the  governor  requested  Mr. 
Campbell  would  call  upon  him  ;  and  when  they  met, 
he  pointed  out  to  him  that  he  would  have  great 
difficulties,  and,  he  was  fearful,  great  hardships,  to 
encounter  in  following  up  his  plan  of  settling  in 
Upper  Canada.  He  did  not  dissuade  him  from  so 
doing,  as  he  had  nothing  more  promising  to  offer, 
which  might  induce  him  to  change  his  mind,  but  he 
thought  it  right  to  forewarn  him  of  trials,  that  he 
might  be  well  prepared. 

"  I  feel,  of  course,  a  strong  interest  in  any  English 
family  so  well  brought  up,  and  accustomed,  as  I  find 
yours  has  been,  to  luxury,  being  placed  in  such  a 
situation  ;  and  the  interest  which  my  old  friend, 
Captain  Lumley,  takes  in  you,  is  quite  sufficient  to 
induce  me  to  offer  you  every  assistance  in  my  power : 
that  you  may  depend  upon,  Mr.  Campbell.  The 
surveyor-general    is  coming    here   immediately,  I 


46  THE   SETTLERS. 

must  first  introduce  you  to  him,  as  it  is  from  him  that 
the  land  must  be  obtained,  and  of  course  he  can  ad- 
vise you  well  on  the  point  of  locality  ;  but  you  must 
recollect  that  it  is  not  much  more  than  thirty  years 
since  these  provinces  have  been  surrendered  to  Great 
Britain,  and  that  not  only  the  French  population,  but 
the  Indians,  are  very  hostile  to  the  English,  for  the 
Indians  were,  and  still  are,  firm  allies  to  the  French, 
and  detest  us.  I  have  been  reflecting  upon  the  affair, 
and  I  hope  to  he  of  some  service  to  you  ;  if  I  am 
not,  it  will  not,  I  assure  you,  be  from  any  want  of 
will  ;  under  every  advantage  which  may  be  procured 
for  you,  at  all  events,  you  will  require  stout  hearts 
and  able  hands.  Your  son  Alfred  will  be  of  great 
eervice,  but  we  must  try  and  procure  you  some  other 
assistance  that  can  be  trusted." 

A  long  conversation  then  took  place  between  the 
governor  and  Mr.  Campbell,  during  which,  the  latter 
received  much  valuable  information  :  it  was  inter- 
rupted, however,  by  the  arrival  of  the  surveyor- 
general,  and  the  topic  was  resumed. 

"  The  land  that  I  would  propose  for  Mr.  Camp- 
bell," observed  the  surveyor-general,  after  a  time, 
"if  there  is  no  objection  to  part  with  it,  is  a  portion 
of  what  has  been  laid  aside  as  government  reserve 
on  this  part  of  Lake  Ontario  ;  there  are  lands  to  be 
obtained  nearer  to  Montreal,  but  all  the  land  of  good 
quality  has  been  purchased.  This  land,  you  will 
observe,  Mr.  Campbell,  is  peculiarly  good,  having 
some  few  acres  of  what  we  cali  prairie,  or  natural 
meadow.  It  has  also  the  advantage  of  running  with 
a  large  frontage  on  the  beach,  and  there  is  a  small 
river  on  one  side  of  it ;  besides,  it  is  not  a  great  dis- 
tance, perhaps  four  or  five  miles,  from  Fort  Frontig- 
nac,  and  it  might  be  easy  to  obtain  assistance  if 
required." 

The  surveyor-general  pointed  to  a  part  of  the 
map,  near  to  Presqu'  He  de  Quinte,  as  he  made  this 
observation  to  the  governor. 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  replied  the  governor,  "and 


THE   SETTLERS.  47 

I  observe  that  there  is  already  a  settler  on  the  other 
side  of  the  stream." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  surveyor  ;  "  that  allotment 
was  granted  before  it  was  decided  that  the  rest 
should  be  a  government  reserve  ;  and  if  proof  were 
required  of  the  goodness  of  the  land,  it  would  be 
found  in  the  person  who  took  it.  It  was  taken  four 
years  ago  by  the  old  hunter,  Malachi  Bone  ;  he  has 
been  over  every  part  of  it,  of  course,  and  knows  what 
it  is.  You  recollect  the  man,  don't  you,  sir  ?  He 
was  a  ftuide  to  the  English  army  before  the  surrender 
of  Quohec  ;  General  Wolfe  had  a  high  opinion  of 
him,  lu-'J  his  services  were  so  good  that  he  was  al- 
lowed that  tract  of  150  acres." 

"I  duw  remember  him,"  replied  the  governor; 
"but  asl  have  not  seen  him  for  so  many  years,  he 
had  escaped  my  recollection." 

li  It  will  be  a  great  advantage  to  you,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, having  this  man  as  a  neighbor." 

"  Now,"  continued  the  governor,  addressing  the 
surveyor-general,  "  do  you  know  of  any  person  who 
would  be  willing  to  serve  Mr.  Campbell,  and  who 
can  be  depended  upon  ;  of  course  one  who  under- 
stands the  country,  and  who  would  be  really  useful?" 

"  Yes,  governor,  I  do  know  a  very  good  man,  and 
you  know  him  also ;  but  you  know  the  worst  part 
of  him,  for  he  is  generallv  in  trouble  when  you  see 
him." 

"Who  is  that?" 

•'Martin  Super,  the  trapper." 

"  Why,  that  is  the  young  fellow  who  breeds  such 
disturbances,  and  who,  if  1  recollect  right,  is  now  in 
prison  for  a  riot." 

"  The  very  same,  sir  ;  but  Martin  Super,  although 
a  troublesome  fellow  at  Quebec,  is  worth  his  weight 
in  gold  when  he  is  out  of  the  town.  You  may  think 
it  strange,  Mr.  Campbell,  that  I  should  recommend 
a  man  who  appears  to  be  so  unruly  a  character ;  but 
the  fact  is,  that  the  trappers,  who  go  in  pursuit  of 
ihe  game  for  their  skins,  after  having  been  out  for 


48  THE    SETTLERS. 

months,  undergoing  every  privation  that  can  be 
imagined,  return  home  with  their  packages  of  skins, 
which  they  dispose  of  to  the  merchants  of  this  town  ; 
and  as  soon  as  they  have  their  money,  they  never 
cease  their  revelry  of  every  description  until  their 
earnings  are  all  gone,  and  then  they  set  off  again  on 
their  wild  and  venturous  pursuit.  Now,  Martin 
Super,  like  all  the  rest,  must  have  his  fun  when  he 
comes  back,  and  being  a  very  wild  fellow,  he  is  often 
in  scrapes  when  he  has  drunk  too  much,  so  that  he 
is  occasionally  put  in  prison  for  being  riotous  ;  but  1 
know  him  well,  he  has  been  with  me  surveying  for 
months,  and  when  he  is  on  service,  a  more  steady, 
active,  and  brave  man  I  do  not  know." 

•'  I  believe  you  are  right  in  recommending  him," 
observed  the  governor,  "  he  will  not  be  sorry  to  get 
out  of  the  jail,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  he  will 
conduct  himself  well  if  he  once  agrees  to  take  your 
service,  Mr.  Campbell,  for  one  or  two  years.  As  for 
the  Canadians,  they  are  very  harmless,  but  at  the  same 
time  very  useless.  There  are  exceptions,  no  doubt, 
but  their  general  character  is  anything  but  that  ot 
activity  and  courage.  As  I  said  before,  you  will 
require  stout  hearts,  and  Martin  Super  is  one,  that  is 
certain.  Perhaps  you  can  arrange  this  for  Mr. 
Campbell." 

The  surveyor-general  promised  to  do  so  ;  shortly 
after  which,  Mr.  Campbell,  with  many  thanks,  took 
his  leave  of  the  governor. 

Mr.  Campbell,  who  had  gained  every  possible 
information  relative  to  what  would  be  most  necessary 
for  him  to  take  with  him,  was  actively  employed  for 
a  fortnight  in  making  his  purchases.  During  this 
time  much  attention  was  shown  tolhem  both  by  the 
English  and  French  residents  at  Quebec.  Alfred, 
whose  wound  was  now  nearly  healed,  was  as  active 
as  usual,  and  Henry  was  of  great  assistance  to  his 
father  in  taking  inventories  and  making  out  lists,  fee. 
Nor  were  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  two  girls  unem- 
ployed ;  they  had  purchased  the  coarse  manufactures 


THE    SETTLERS.  49 

of  the  country,  and  were  very  busy  making  dresses 
for  themselves  and  for  the  children.  Mr.  Campbell 
had  been  one  morning  at  Mr.  Farquhar's,  the  mer- 
chant's, to  make  inquiries  about  a  conveyance  up  to 
his  new  purchase  (for  he  had  concluded  his  arrange- 
ments with  the  surveyor-general),  Avhen  the  gover« 
nor  sent  a  message  by  one  of  his  aides-de-camp,  to 
say  that  it  was  his  intention  in  the  course  of  ten  days 
to  send  a  detachment  of  soldiers  up  to  Fort  Frontig- 
ndc — news  ha\ing  been  received  that  the  garrison 
was  weakened  by  a  fever  which  had  broken  out  ;  and 
that  if  Mr.  Campbell  would  like  to  avail  himself  ol 
the  opportunity,  he  and  his  family,  and  all  his  lug- 
gage, should  o;o  under  the  escort  of  the  officer  and 
troops.  This  offer  was  of  course  joyfully  accepted, 
and  on  Mr.  Campbell's  calling  upon  the  governor  to 
return  his  thanks,  the  latter  told  him  that  there 
would  be  plenty  of  room  in  the  bateaux  and  canoes 
for  them  and  all  their  luggage,  and  that  he  need  not 
give  himself  further  trouble,  or  incur  any  fu  ner 
expense. 
Vol.  I.— 5 


50  THE   SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  next  day  the  surveyor-general  called,  bringing 
with  him  Martin  Super,  the  trapper. 

"  Mr.  Campbell,"  said  the  surveyor,  "  this  is  my 
friend  Martin  Super  ;  I  have  spoken  to  him,  and  he 
has  consented  to  take  service  for  one  year,  and  he 
will  remain,  if  he  is  satisfied.  If  he  serves  you  as 
well  as  he  has  served  me  when  I  have  travelled 
through  the  country,  I  have  no  doubt  but  you  will 
find  him  a  valuable  assistant." 

Martin  Super  was  rather  tall,  very  straight-limbed, 
showing  both  activity  and  strength.  His  head,  was 
smaller  than  usually  is  the  case,  which  gave  him  the 
appearance  of  great  lightness  and  agility.  His 
countenance  was  very  pleasing,  being  expressive  of 
continual  good  humor,  which  was  indeed  but  corre- 
sponding to  his  real  character.  He  Avas  dressed  in  a 
sort  oi  hunting-coat  of  deer-skin,  blue  cloth  leggins, 
a  cap  of  rackoon's  skin,  with  a  broad  belt  round  his 
waist,  in  which  he  wore  his  knife. 

"  How,  Martin  Super,  I  will  read  the  terms  of  the 
agreement  between  you  and  Mr.  Campbell,  that  you 
may  see  if  all  is  as  you  wish." 

The  surveyor-general  read  the  agreement,  and 
Martin  Super  nodded  his  head  in  acquiescence. 

"  Mr.  Campbell,  if  you  are  satisfied,  you  may  now 
sign  it :  Martin  shall  do  the  same." 

Mr.  Campbell  signed  his  name  and  handed  the 
pen  to  Martin  Super,  who  then  for  the  first  time 
spoke.' 

"  Surveyor,  I  don't  know  how  my  name  is  spelt, 
and  if  I  did,  I  couldn't  write  it,  so  I  must  do  it 
Indian  fashion,  and  put  my  totem  to  it." 


THE    SETTLERS.  51 

t 

"  What  is  your  name  among  the  Indians,  Martin  ?" 
"  The  Painter,"  replied  Martin,  who  then  made,  un- 
der Mr.  Campbell'sy— «-"-.....ii.r^v  signature, 

a       figure        like*— \/  — -S»,Kw  '    sayin°» 

"  There,  that's  my        1/1/  VVV^-name,    as 

near  as  I  can  draw         "  it." 

"  Very  good,1'  replied  the  surveyor-general  ;  "  here 
is  the  document  all  right,  Mr.  Campbell.  Ladies,  I 
fear  I  must  run  away,  for  I  have  an  engagement.  I 
will  leave  Martin  Super,  Mr.  Campbell,  as  you  would 
probably  like  a  little  conversation  together." 

The  surveyor-general  then  took  his  leave,  and 
Martin  Super  remained.  Mrs.  Campbell  was  the 
first  who  spoke:  "Super,"  said  she,  "  I  hope  we 
shall  be  very  good  friends,  but  now  tell  me  what  you 
mean  by  your — totem,  I  think  you  called  it  ?" 

"  Why,  ma'am,  a  totem  is  an  Indian's  mark,  and 
you  know  I  am  almost  an  Indian  myself.  All  the 
Indian  chiefs  have  their  totems.  One  is  called  the 
Great  Otter;  another  the  Serpent,  and  so  on,  and  so 
they  sign  a  figure  like  the  animal  they  are  named 
from.  Then,  ma'am,  you  see,  we  trappers,  who 
almost  live  with  them,  have  names  given  to  us  also, 
and  they  have  called  me  the  Painter?" 

"  Why  did  they  name  you  the  Painter  ?" 

''  Because  I  killed  two  of  them  in  one  day." 

"Killed  two  painters  !"  cried  the  girls. 

"Yes,  miss;  killed  them  both  with  my  rifle." 

"But  why  did  you  kill  the  men?"  said  Emma; 
"was  it  in  battle?" 

"  Kill  the  men,  miss  ;  I  said  nothing  about  men  ; 
I  said  I  killed  two  painters,"  replied  Martin,  laugh- 
ing, and  showing  a  row  of  teeth  as  white  as  ivory. 

"What  is  a  painter,  then,  Super  ?"  inquired  Mrs. 
Campbell. 

"Why  it's  an  animal,  and  a  very  awkward  crea- 
ture, I  can  can  tell  you,  sometimes." 

"  The  drawing  is  something  like  a  panther,  mam- 
ma," exclaimed  Mary. 


52  THE    SETTLERS. 

"Well,  miss,  it  may  be  a  panther,  but  we  only 
know  them  by  the  other  name." 

Mr.  Farquhar  then  came  in,  and  the  question  was 
referred  to  him;  he  laughed  and  told  them  that 
painters  were  a  species  of  panther,  not  spotted,  but 
tawny-colored,  and  at  times  very  dangerous. 

"  Do  you  know  the  part  of  the  country  where  we 
are  going  to  ?"  said  Henry  to  Super. 

"  Yes,  I  have  trapped  thereabouts  for  months,  but 
the  beavers  are  scarce  now." 

"  Are  there  any  other  animals  there  ?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Martin,  "  small  game,  as  we  term 
it." 

"  What  sort  are  they  ?" 

"  Why,  there's  painters,  and  bears,  and  cat- 
a'mountains." 

"  Mercy  on  us !  do  you  call  that  small  game  ? 
why,  what  must  the  large  be,  then?"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell. 

"  Buffaloes,  missus,  is  what  we  call  big  game." 

"  But  the  animals  you  speak  of  are  not  good  eating, 
Super,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell,  "is  there  no  game  that 
we  can  eat  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  plenty  of  deer  and  wild  turkey,  and 
bear's  good  eating,  I  reckon." 

"  Ah  !  that  sounds  better." 

After  an  hour's  conversation,  Martin  Super  was 
dismissed  ;  the  whole  of  the  family  (except  Alfred, 
who  was  not  at  home)  very  much  pleased  with  what 
they  had  seen  of  him. 

A  few  days  after  this,  Martin  Super,  who  had  now 
entered  upon  service,  and  was  very  busy  with  Alfred, 
with  whom  he  had  already  become  a  favorite,  was 
sent  for  by  Mr.  Campbell,  who  read  over  to  him  the 
inventory  of  the  articles  which  they  had,  and  inquired 
of  him  if  there  was  anything  else  which  might  be 
necessary  or  advisable  to  take  with  them. 

"You  said  something  about  guns  "  said  Martin  ; 
"  what  sort  of  guns  did  you  mean  ?" 


THE    SETTLERS.  53 

"  We  have  three  fowling-pieces  and  th/ee  mus- 
kets, hesides  pistols.'1 

"Fowling-pieces — they  are  bird-guns,  I  believe — 
no  use  at  all  ;  muskets  are  soldiers'  tools— no  use  ; 
pistols  are  pops,  and  nothing  better.  You  have  no 
rifles  ;  you  can't  go  into  the  woods  without  rifles.  1 
have  got  mine,  but  you  must  have  some." 

"Well,  I  believe  you  are  right,  Martin  ;  it  never 
occurred  to  me.     How  many  ought  we  to  have  ?•" 

"  Well,  that's  according — how  many  be   you  in 

family  1" 

"  We  are  five  males  and  three  females." 

"  Well,  then,  sir,  say  ten  rifles  ;  that  will  be  quite 
sufficient.  Two  spare  ones  in  case  of  accident,"  re- 
plied Martin. 

"  Why,  Martin,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell,  "you  do  not 
mean  that  the  children  and  these  young  ladies  and  I 
are  to  fire  offrities?" 

"  I  do  mean  to  say,  ma'am,  that  before  I  was  as 
old  as  that  little  boy,"  pointing  to  John,  "  I  could  hit 
a  mark  well ;  and  a  woman  ought  at  least  to  know 
how  to  prime  and  load  a  rifle,  even  if  she  does  not 
fire  it  herself.  It  is  a  deadly  weapon,  ma'am,  and 
the  greatest  leveller  in  creation,  for  the  trigger  pulled 
by  a  child  will  settle  the  business  of  the  stoutest 
man.  I  don't  mean  to  say  that  we  may  be  called  to 
use  them  in  that  way,  but  it's  always  better  to  have 
them,  and  to  let  other  people  know  that  you  have 
them,  and  all  ready  loaded  too,  if  required." 

« Well,  Martin,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  "  I  agree  with 
you,  it  is  better  to  be  well  prepared.  We  will  have 
the  ten  rifles,  if  we  can  afford  to  purchase  them. 
What  will  they  cost?" 

"  About  sixteen  dollars  will  purchase  the  best,  sir ; 
but  I  think  I  had  better  choose  them  for  you,  and  tiy 
them  before  you  purchase." 

"Do  so,  then,  Super  ;  Alfred  will  go  with  you  as 
Boon  as  he  comes  back,  and  you  and  he  can  settle 
the  matter." 

**  Why,  Super,"  observed   Mrs.  Campbell,  "  vou 

5* 


A  THE   SETTLERS. 

have  quite  frightened  us  women  at  the  idea  of  so 
many  firearms  being  required." 

"  If  Pontiac  was  alive,  missus,  they  would  all  be 
required,  but  he's  gone  now  ;  still  there  are  many 
uut-lying  Indians,  as  we  call  them,  who  are  no  bet- 
ter than  they  should  be  ;  and  I  always  like  to  see  ri- 
fles ready  loaded.  Why,  ma'am,  suppose  now  that 
all  the  men  were  out  in  the  woods,  and  a  bear  should 
pay  you  a  visit  during  our  absence,  would  it  not  be 
just  as  well  for  to  have  a  loaded  rifle  ready  for  him  ; 
and  would  not  you  or  the  young  misses  willingly 
prefer  to  pull  the  trigger  at  him  than  to  be  hugged 
in  his  fashion  ?" 

"Martin  Super,  you  have  quite  convinced  me:  1 
shall  not  only  learn  to  load  a  rifle,  but  to  fire  one 
also." 

"  And  I'll  teach  the  boys  the  use  of  them,  ma'am, 
and  they  will  then  add  to  your  defence." 

"You  shall  do  so,  Martin,"  replied  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell ;  "I  am  convinced  that  you  are  quite  right." 

When  Super  had  quitted  the  room,  which  he  did 
soon  afterward,  Mr.  Campbell  observed — "  I  hope, 
my  dear,  that  you  and  the  girls  are  not  terrified  by 
the  remarks  of  Martin.  It  is  necessary  to  be  well 
armed  when  isolated  as  we  shall  be,  and  so  far  from 
any  assistance  ;  but  it  does  not  follow,  because  we 
ought  to  be  prepared  against  danger,  that  such  dan- 
ger should  occur." 

"  I  can  answer  for  myself,  my  dear  Campbell," 
replied  his  wife  ;  "I  am  prepared,  if  necessary,  to 
meet  danger,  and  do  what  a  weak  woman  can  do; 
and  I  feel  what  Martin  says  is  but  too  true,  that, 
with  a  rifle  in  the  hand,  a  woman  or  a  child  is  on  a 
par  with  the  strongest  man." 

"And  I,  my  dear  uncle,"  said  Mary  Percival, 
"  shall,  I  trust,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  know  how 
to  do  my  duty,  however  peculiar  the  circumstances 
may  be  to  a  female." 

"And  I,  my  dear  uncle,"  followed  up  Emma, 
laughing,  "infinitely  prefer  firing  oil"  a  rifle  to  being 


THE    SETTLERS.  i>6 

hugged  by  a  bear  or  an  Indian,  because  of  two  evila 
one  should  always  choose  the  least." 

"  Well,  then,  I  see  Martin  has  done  no  harm,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  he  has  done  good.  It  is  always  best 
to  be  prepared  for  the  worst,  and  to  trust  to  Provi- 
dence for  aid  in  peril." 

At  last  all  the  purchases  were   completed,  and 
everything  was  packed  up  and  ready  for  embarka- 
tion.    Another  message  from  the  governor  was  re- 
ceived, stating  that  in  three  days  the  troops  would 
be  embarked,  and  also  informing  Mr.  Campbell  that 
if  he  had  not  purchased  any  cows  or  horses,  the  offi- 
cer at  Fort  Frontignac  had  more  cattle  than  were 
requisite,  and  could  supply  him  ;  which,  perhaps, 
would  be  preferable  to  carrying  them  up  so  far.    Mr. 
Campbell  had  spoken  about,  but  not  finally  settled 
for,  the  cows,  and  therefore  was  glad  to  accept  the 
governor's  offer.      This  message  was  accompanied 
with  a  note  of  invitation  to  Mr.  Campbell,  the  ladies, 
and  Henry  and  Alfred,  to  take  a  farewell  dinner  at 
Government  house  the  day  before  their  departure. 
The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Campbell  was 
introduced  to  the  officer  commanding  the  detach- 
ment which  was  about  to  proceed  to  Fort  Frontig- 
nac, and  received  from  him  every  assurance  of  his 
doing  all  he  could  to  make  them  comfortable.     The 
kindness  of  the  governor  did  not  end  here:  he  de- 
sired the   officer  to  take  two  large  tents  for  the  use 
of  Mr.  Campbell,  to  be  returned  to  the  fort  when  the 
bouse  had  been  built,  and  they  were  completely  set- 
tled.    He  even  proposed  that  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the 
Misses  Percival  should  remain  at  Government  house 
until  Mr.  Campbell  had  made  every  preparation  to 
receive  them  ;    but  this  Mrs.  Campbell  would  not 
consent  to,  and,  with  many  thanks,  she  declined  the 
offer. 


£>6  THE    SETTLEl'.a. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Although  it  was  now  the  middle  of  May,  it  was 
but  a  few  days  before  their  departure  that  there  was 
the  least  sign  of  verdure,  or  the  trees  had  hurst  into 
leaf:  hut  iu  the  course  of  the  three  days  before  they 
quitted  Quebec,  so  rapid  was  the  vegetation,  that 
it  appeared  as  if  summer  had  come  upon  them  all  at 
once.  The  heat  was  also  very  great,  although,  when 
they  had  landed,  the  weather  was.  piercing  cold  ; 
but"  in  Canada,  as  welL  as  in  all  northern  America, 
the  transitions  from  heat  to  cold,  and  from  cold  to 
heat,  are  very  rapid. 

My  young  readers  will  be  surprised  to  hear  that 
when  the  winter  sets  in  at  Quebec,  all  the  animals 
required  for  the  winter's  consumption  are  at  once 
killed.  If  the  troops  are  numerous,  perhaps  three 
or  four  hundred  bullocks  are  slaughtered  and  hung 
up.  Every  family  kill  their  cattle,  their  sheep,  pigs, 
turkeys,  fowls,  &c,  and  all  are  put  up  in  the  gar- 
rets, where  the  carcases  immediately  freeze  hard, 
and  remain  quite  good  and  sweet  during  the  six  or 
seven  months  of  severe  winter  which  occur  in  that 
climate.  When  any  portion  of  meat  is  to  be  cooked, 
it  is  gradually  thawed  in  lukewarm  water,  and  after 
that  is  put  to  the  fire.  If  put  at  once  to  the  fire  in 
its  frozen  state  it  spoils.  There  is  another  strange 
circumstance  which  occurs  in  these  cold  latitudes; 
a  small  fish,  called  the  snow-fish,  is  caught  during 
the  winter  by  making  holes  in  the  thick  ice,  and  these 
fish  coming  to  the  holes  in  thousands  to  breathe,  are 
thrown  oat  with  hand-nets  upon  the  ice,  where  they 
become  in  a  few  minutes  frozen  quite  hard,  so  that, 
if  )ou  wish  it,  you  may  break  them  in  half  like  a 


THE   SETTLERS.  57 

rotten  stick.  The  cattle  are  fed  upon  these  fish  du- 
ring the  winter  months.  But  it  has  been  proved, 
which  is  very  strange,  that  if,  after  they  have  been 
frozen  for  twenty-four  hours  or  more,  you  put  these 
fish  into  water  and  gradually  thaw  them  as  you  do 
the  meat,  they  will  recover  and  swim  about  again 
as  well  as  ever.  To  proceed,  however,  with  our 
history — 

Mr.  Campbell  found  that,  after  all  his  expenses,  he 
had  still  three  hundred  pounds  left,  and  this  money 
he  left  in  the  Quebec  bank,  to  use  as  he  might  find 
necessary.  His  expenditure  had  been  very  great. 
Fir>t,  there  was  the  removal  of  so  large  a  family, 
and  the  passage  out;  then  he  had  procured  at  Liv- 
erpool a.  large  quantity  of  cutlery  and  tools,  furni- 
ture, &c,  all  of  which  articles  were  cheaper  there 
than  at  Quebec.  At  Quebec  he  had  also  much  to 
purchase :  all  the  most  expensive  portion  of  his 
house ;  such  as  windows  ready  glazed,  stoves, 
boarding  for  floors,  cupboards,  and  partitions  ;  salt 
provisions,  crockery  of  every  description,  two  small 
wagons  ready  to  be  put  together,  several  casks  of 
nails,  and  a  variety  of  things  which  it  would  be  too 
tedious  to  mention.  Procuring  these,  with  the  ex- 
penses of  living,  had  taken  away  all  his  money,  ex- 
cept the  three  hundred  pounds  I  have  mentioned. 

It  was  on  the  13th  of  May  that  the  embarkation 
took  place,  and  it  was  not  until  the  afternoon  that 
all  was  prepared,  and  Mrs.  Campbell  and  her  nieces 
were  conducted  down  to  the  bateaux,  which  lay  at 
the  wharf,  with  the  troops  all  ready  on  board  of 
them.  The  governor  and  his  aides-de-camp,  be- 
sides many  other  influential  people  of  Quebec,  es- 
corted them  down,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  paid 
their  adieus,  the  word  was  given,  the  soldiers  in  the 
bateaux  gave  three  cheers,  and  away  they  went 
from  the  wharf  into  the  stream.  For  a  short  time 
there  was  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  other  tokens 
of  good-will  on  the  part  of  those  who  were  on  the 
wharf;  but  that  was  soon  left  behind  them,  and  the 


58  THE    SETTLERS. 

family  found  themselves  separated  from  their  ac- 
quaintances and  silently  listening  to  the  measured 
sound  of  the  oars,  as  they  dropped  into  the  water. 

And  it  is  not  to  he  wondered  at  that  they  were  si- 
lent, for  all  were  occupied  with  their  own  thoughts. 
They  called  to  mind  the  beautiful  park  at  Wexton, 
which  they  had  quitted,  after  having  resided  there 
.so  long  and  so  happily  ;  the  hall,  with  all  its  splen- 
dor and  all  its  comfort,  rose  up  in  their  remem- 
brance ;  each  room  with  its  furniture,  each  window 
with  its  view,  was  recalled  to  their  memories  ;  they 
had  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  were  now  about  to 
leave  civilization  and  comfort  behind  them — to  iso- 
late themselves  in  the  Canadian  woods — to  trust  tc 
their  own  resources,  their  own  society,  and  their 
own  exertions.  It  was,  indeed,  the  commencement 
of  a  new  life,  and  for  which  they  felt  themselves  lit- 
tle adapted,  after  the  luxuries  they  had  enjoyed  in 
their  former  condition;  but  if  their  thoughts  and 
reminiscences  made  them  grave  and  silent,  they  did 
not  make  them  despairing  or  repining  ;  they  trusted 
to  that  Power  who  alone  could  protect — who  gives 
and  who  takes  away,  and  docth  with  us  as  he  judges 
best;  and  if  hope  was  not  buoyant  in  all  of  them, 
still  there  was  confidence,  resolution,  and  resigna- 
tion. Gradually  they  Avere  roused  from  their  reve- 
ries by  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  and  the  novelty  of 
what  met  their  sight ;  the  songs,  also,  of  the  Cana- 
dian boatmen  were  musical  and  cheering,  and  by 
decrees  they  had  all  recovered  their  usual  good 
spirits. 

Alfred  was  the  first  to  shake  off  his  melancholy 
ieelings  and  to  attempt  to  remove  them  from  others  ; 
nor  was  lie  unsuccessful.  The  officer  who  command- 
id  the  detachment  of  troops,  and  who  was  in  the 
same  L'lleau  with  the  family,  had  respected  their 
silence  upon  their  departure  from  the  wharf — per- 
haps he  felt  much  as  they  did.  His  name  was  Sin- 
clair, and  his  rank  that  of  senior  captain  in  the  regi- 
ment— a  handsome,  Uorid  young  man,  tall  and  well 


THE   SETTLERS.  59 

made,  \ery  gentleman-like,  and  very  gentle  in  his 
manners. 

"How  very  beautiful  the  foliage  is  on  that  point, 
mother,"  said  Alfred,  first  breaking  the  silence; 
"  what  a  contrast  between  the  leaves  of  the  syca- 
more, so  transparent  and  yellow,  with  the  sun  be- 
hind them,  and  the  new  shoots  of  the  spruce  fir." 

"  It  is,  indeed,  very  lovely,"  replied  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell ;  "and  the  branches  of  the  trees,  feathering 
down  as  they  do  to  the  surface  of  the  water — " 

"Like  good  Samaritans,"  said  Emma,  "  extending 
their  arms,  that  any  unfortunate  drowning  person 
who  was  swept  away  by  the  stream  might  save 
himself  by  their  assistance." 

"  T  had  no  idea  that  trees  had  so  much  charity  or 
'eflection,  Emma,"  rejoined  Alfred. 

"  I  can  not  answer  for  their  charity,  but,  by  the 
side  of  this  clear  water,  you  must  allow  them  reflec- 
tion, cousin,"  replied  Emma. 

"I  presume  you  will  add  vanity  to  their  attri- 
butes ?"  answered  Alfred  ;  "  for  they  certainly  appear 
to  be  hanging  over  the  stream  that  they  may  look 
and  admire  themselves  in  the  glassy  mirror." 

"Pretty  well  that  for  a  midshipman;  I  was  not 
aware  that  they  used  such  choice  language  in  a 
cockpit,"  retorted  the  young  lady. 

"Perhaps  not,  cousin,"  answered  Alfred;  "but 
when  sailors  are  in  the  company  of  ladies,  they  be- 
come refined,  from  the  association." 

"  Well,  I  must  admit,  Alfred,  that  you  are  a  great 
deal  more  polished  after  you  have  been  a  month  on 
shore." 

"  Thank  you,  Cousin  Emma,  even  for  that  slight 
admission,"  replied  Alfred,  laughing. 

"  But  what  is  that  ?"  said  Mary  Percival,  "  at  the 
point,  is  it  a  village — one,  two,  three  houses— just 
opening  upon  us  ?" 

"That  is  a  raft,  Miss  Percival,  which  is  comincr 
down  the  river,"  replied  Capt.  Sinclair.  "  Yru  will 
see,  when  we  are  nearer  to  it,  that  perhaps  it  covers 


60  THE   SETTLERS. 

wo  acres  of  water,  and  there  are  three  tiers  of  tim- 
Der  on  it.  These  rafts  are  worth  many  thousand 
pounds.  They  are  first  framed  with  logs,  fastened 
by  wooden  tree-nails,  and  the  timber  placed  within 
the  frame.  There  are,  perhaps,  from  forty  to  a 
hundred  people  on  this  raft  to  guide  it  down  the 
stream,  and  the  houses  you  see  are  built  on  it  for  the 
accommodation  of  these  people.  I  have  seen  as 
many  as  fifteen  houses  upon  a  raft,  which  will  some- 
times contain  the  cargoes  of  thirty  or  forty  large 
ships." 

"  It  is  very  wonderful  how  they  guide  and  direct 
it  down  the  stream,"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"It  is  very  dexterous  ;  and  it  seems  strange  that 
such  an  enormous  mass  can  be  so  guided,  but  it  is 
done,  as  you  will  perceive;  there  are  three  or  four 
rudders  made  of  long  sweeps,  and,  as  you  may  ob- 
serve, several  sweeps  on  each  side." 

All  the  party  were  now  standing  up  in  the  stern* 
sheets  of  the  bateau  to  look  at  the  people  on  the  raft, 
who  amounted  to  about  fifty  or  sixty  men — now  run- 
ning over  the  top  to  one  side,  and  dragging  at  the 
sweeps,  which  required  the  joint  power  of  seven  or 
eight  men  to  each  of  them — now  passing  again  over 
to  the  opposite  sweeps,  as  directed  by  the  steersmen. 
The  bateau  kept  well  in  to  the  shore,  out  of  the  way, 
and  the  raft  passed  them  very  quickly.  As  soon  as 
it  was  clear  of  the  point,  as  iheir  course  to  Quebec 
was  now  straight,  and  there  was  a  slight  breeze 
down  the  river,  the  people  on  board  of  the  raft  hoist- 
ed ten  or  fifteen  sails  upon  different  masts,  to  assist 
thern  in  their  descent  ;  and  this  again  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  party. 

The  conversation  now  became  general,  until  the 
bateaux  were  made  fast  to  the  shores  of  the  river, 
while  the  men  took  their  dinners,  which  had  been 
prepared  for  them  before  they  left  Quebec.  After  a 
repose  of  two  hours,  they  again  started,  and  at  night- 
fall arrived  al  St.  Anne's,  where  they  found  every- 
thing read)  for  their  reception.     Although  their  beds 


THE   SETTLERS.  01 

were  composed  of  the  leaves  of  the  maize  or  Indian 
corn,  they  were  so  tired  that  they  found  them  very 
comfortable,  and  at  daylight  arose,  quite  refreshed 
and  anxious  to  continue  their  route.  Martin  Super, 
who,  with  the  two  youngest  boys,  had  been  placed 
in  a  separate  boat,  had  been  very  attentive  to  the 
comforts  of  the  ladies  after  their  debarkation  ;  and 
it  appeared  that  he  had  quite  won  the  hearts  of  the 
two  boys  by  his  amusing  anecdotes  during  th  *  day. 

Soon  after  their  embarkation,  the  name  of  Pontiac 
being  again  mentioned  by  Capt.  Sinclair,  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell observed — 

"  Our  man  Super  mentioned  that  name  before.  I 
confess  that  I  do  not  know  anything  of  Canadian 
affairs:  I  know  only  that  Pontiac  was  an  Indian 
chief.  Can  you,  Capt.  Sinclair,  give  us  any  informa- 
tion relative  to  a  person  who  appears  so  well  known 
in  the  province  ?" 

"  I  shall  be  happy,  Mrs.  Campbell,  as  far  as  I  am 
able,  to  satisfy  you.  On  one  point,  I  can  certainly 
speak  with  confidence,  as  my  uncle  was  one  of  the 
detachment  in  the  fort  of  Detroit  at  the  time  that  it 
was  so  nearly  surprised,  and  he  has  often  told  the 
history  of  the  affair  in  my  presence.  Pontiac  was 
chief  of  all  the  lake  tribes  of  Indians.  I  will  not  re- 
peat the  names  of  the  different  tribes,  but  his  own 
particular  tribe  Avas  that  of  the  Ottawas.  He  ruled 
at  the  time  that  the  Canadas  were  surrendered  to  us 
by  the  French.  At  first,  although  very  proud  and 
haughty,  and  claiming  the  sovereignty  of  the  coun- 
try, he  was  very  civil  to  the  English,  or  at  least  ap- 
peared so  to  be  ;  for  the  French  had  given  us  so  bad 
a  reputation  with  all  the  northern  tribes,  that  they 
had  hilherto  shown  nothing  but  the  most  determined 
hostility,  and  appeared  to  hate  our  very  name. 
They  are  now  inclined  to  quiet,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
their  fear  of  us,  after  the  several  conflicts  between 
us,  will  induce  them  to  remain  so.  You  are,  per- 
haps, aware  that  the  French  had  built  many  forts  at 
tfie  most  commanding  spots  in  the  interior  and  on 
Vol.  I.— 6 


62  THE   SETTLERS. 

the  lakes,  all  of  which,  when  they  gave  up  the  coun« 
try,  were  garrisoned  by  our  troops,  to  keep  the  In- 
dians under  control. 

"  All  these  forts  are  isolated,  and  communication 
between  them  is  rare.  It  was  in  1763  that  Pontiac 
first  showed  his  hostility  against  us,  and  his  deter- 
mination, if  possible,  to  drive  us  from  the  lakes.  He 
was  as  cunning  as  he  was  brave  ;  and,  as  an  Indian, 
showed  more  generalship  than  might  be  expected — 
that  is,  according  to  their  system  of  war,  which  is 
always  based  upon  stratagem.  His  plan  of  operation 
was,  to  surprise  all  our  forts  at  the  same  time,  if  he 
possibly  could;  and  so  excellent  were  his  arrange- 
ments, that  it  was  only  fifteen  days  after  the  plan 
was  first  laid  that  he  succeeded  in  gaining  possession 
of  all  but  three  ;  that  is,  he  surprised  ten  out  of  thir- 
teen forts.  Of  course,  the  attacks  were  made  by 
other  chiefs,  under  his  directions,  as  Pontiac  could 
not  be  at  all  the  simultaneous  assaults." 

"  Did  he  murder  the  garrisons,  Capt.  Sinclair  V 
said  Alfred. 

"  The  major  portion  of  them :  some  were  spared, 
and  afterward  were  ransomed  at  high  prices.  I 
ought  to  have  mentioned,  as  a  singular  instance  of 
the  advance  of  this  chief  in  comparison  with  the 
other  Indians,  that  at  this  time  he  issued  bills  of  credit 
on  slips  of  bark,  signed  with  his  totem,  the  otter; 
and  that  these  bills,  unlike  many  of  more  civilized 
society,  were  all  taken  up  and  paid." 

"  That  is  very  remarkable  in  a  savage,"  observed 
Mrs.  Campbell  ;  "  but  how  did  Pontiac  contrive  to 
surprise  all  the  forts  V 

"Almost  the  whole  of  them  were  taken  by  a  sin- 
gular stratagem.  The  Indians  are  very  partial  to, 
and  exceedingly  dexterous  at,  a  game  called  the 
'Bag^atiway  :'  it  is  played  with  a  ball  and  a  long- 
handled  sort  of  racket.  They  divide  into  two  par- 
ties, and  the  object  of  each  party  is  to  drive  the  ball 
to  their  own  goal.  It  is  something  like  hurly  in 
England  or  golf  in  Scotland.     Many  hundreds  are 


THE   SETTLERS.  t>3 

sometimes  engaged  on  both  sides;  and  the  Euro- 
peans are  so  fond  of  seeing  the  activity  and  dexterity- 
shown  by  the  Indians  at  this  game,  that  it  was  very 
common  to  request  them  to  play  it,  when  they  hap- 
pened to  be  near  the  forts.  Upon  this,  Pontiac  ar- 
ranged his  plan,  which  was  that  his  Indians  should 
commence  the  game  of  ball  under  the  forts,  and  after 
playing  a  short  time,  strike  the  ball  into  the  fort:  of 
course,  some  of  them  would  go  in  for  it ;  and  hav- 
ing done  this  two  or  three  times,  and  recommenced 
the  play  to  avoid  suspicion,  they  were  to  strike  it 
over  again,  and  follow  it  up  by  a  rush  after  it  through 
the  gates;  and  then,  when  they  were  all  in,  they 
would  draw  their  concealed  weapons,  and  overpower 
the  unsuspicious  garrison." 

"  It  was  certainly  a  very  ingenious  stratagem," 
observed  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  And  it  succeeded,  as  I  have  observed,  except  on 
three  forts.  The  one  which  Pontiac  directed  the  at- 
tack upon  himself,  and  which  was  that  which  he 
was  most  anxious  to  obtain,  was  Detroit,  in  which, 
as  I  have  before  observed,  my  uncle  was  garrisoned  ; 
but  there  he  failed,  and  by  a  singular  circumstance." 

"  Pray  tell  us  how,  Captain  Sinclair,"  said  Em- 
ma ,  "  you  don't  know  how  much  you  have  interest- 
ed me." 

"  And  me,  too,  Captain  Sinclair,"  continued  Mary. 

"I  am  very  happy  that  I  have  been  able  to  wear 
away  any  portion  of  your  tedious  journey,  Miss  Per- 
cival,  so  I  shall  proceed  with  my  history. 

"  The  fort  of  Detroit  was  garrisoned  by  about  three 
hundred  men,  when  Pontiac  arrived  there  with  a 
large  force  of  Indians,  and  encamped  under  the 
walls,  but  he  had  his  warriors  so  mixed  up  with  the 
women  and  children,  and  brought  so  many  articles 
for  trade,  that  no  suspicion  was  created.  The  gar- 
rison had  not  heard  of  the  capture  of  the  other  forts 
which  had  already  taken  place.  At  the  same  time 
the  unusual  number  of  the  Indians  was  pointed  out 
to  Major  Gladwin,  who  commanded  the  fort,  but  he 


64  THE   SETTLERS. 

had  no  suspicions.  Pontiac  sent  word  to  the  major, 
that  he  wished  to  '  have  a  talk'  with  him,  in  order  to 
cement  more  fully  the  friendship  between  the  Indians 
and  the  English  ;  and  to  this  Major  Gladwin  con- 
sented, appointing  the  next  day  to  receive  Pontiac 
and  his  chiefs  in  the  fort. 

"Now  it  so  happened,  that  Major  Gladwin  had 
employed  an  Indian  woman  to  make  him  a  pair  of 
moccasins  out  of  a  very  curious-marked  elk-skin. 
The  Indian  woman  brought  him  the  moccasins  with 
the  remainder  of  the  skin.  The  major  was  so  pleased 
with  them  that  he  ordered  her  to  make  him  a  second 
pair  of  moccasins  out  of  the  skin,  and  then  told  her 
that  she  might  keep  the  remainder  for  herself.  The 
woman  having  received  the  order,  quitted  the  major, 
hut  instead  of  leaving  the  fort,  remained  loitering 
about  till  she  was  observed,  and  they  inquired  why 
she  did  not  go.  She  replied,  that  she  wanted  to  re- 
turn the  rest  of  the  skin  as  he  set  so  great  a  value  on 
it ;  and  as  this  appeared  strange  conduct,  she  was 
questioned,  and  then  she  said,  that  if  she  took  away 
the  skin  then,  she  never  would  be  able  to  return  it. 

"  Major  Gladwin  sent  for  the  woman,  upon  hear- 
ing of  the  expressions  which  she  had  used,  and  it 
was  evident  that  she  wanted  to  communicate  some- 
thing, but  was  afraid  ;  but  on  being  pressed  hard 
and  encouraged,  and  assured  of  protection,  she  then 
informed  Major  Gladwin,  that  Pontiac  and  his  chiefs 
were  to  come  into  the  fort  to-morrow,  under  the  plea 
t>f  holding  a  talk  ;  but  that  they  had  cut  the  barrels 
of  their  rifles  short,  to  conceal  them  under  their 
blankets,  and  that  it  was  their  intention  at  a  signal 
given  by  Pontiac  to  murder  Major  Gladwin  and  all 
his  officers  who  were  at  the  council  ;  while  the  oth- 
er warriors,  who  would  also  come  into  the  fort  with 
concealed  arms  under  pretence  of  trading,  would  at- 
tack the  garrison  outside. 

"  Having  obtained  this  information,  Major  Glad- 
win did  all  he  could  to  put  the  fort  into  a  state  of 
defence,  and  took  every  necessary  precaution.     He 


THE    SETTLERS.  65 

made  known  to  the  officers  and  men  what  the  in- 
tentions of  the  Indians  were,  and  instructed  the  offi- 
cers how  to  act  at  the  council,  and  the  garrison  how 
to  meet  the  pretended  traders  outside. 

"  About  ten  o'clock,  Pontiac  and  his  thirty-six 
chiefs,  with  a  train  of  warriors,  came  into  the  fort 
to  their  pretended  council,  and  were  received  with 
great  politeness.  Pontiac  made  his  speech,  and 
when  he  came  forward  to  present  the  wampum  belt, 
the  receipt  of  which  by  the  major  was,  as  the  In- 
dian women  had  informed  them,  to  be  the  signal  for 
the  chiefs  and  warriors  to  commence  the  assault,  the 
major  and  his  officers  drew  their  swords  half  out  of 
their  scabbards,  and  the  troops,  with  their  muskets 
loaded  and  bayonets  fixed,  appeared  outside  and  in 
the  council-room,  all  ready  to  present.  Pontiac, 
brave  as  he  really  was,  turned  pale  :  he  perceived 
that  he  was  discovered,  and  consequently,  to  avoid 
any  open  detection,  he  finished  his  speech  with 
many  professions  of  regard  for  the  English.  Major 
Gladwin  ihen  rose  to  reply  to  him,  and  immediately 
informed  him  that  he  was  aware  of  his  plot  and  his 
murderous  intentions.  Pontiac  denied  it ;  but  Major 
Gladwin  stepped  to  the  chief,  and  drawing  aside  his 
blanket,  exposed  his  rifle  cut  short,  which  left  Pon- 
tiac and  his  chiefs  without  a  word  to  say  in  reply. 
Major  Gladwin  then  desired  Pontiac  to  quit  the  fort 
immediately,  as  otherwise  he  should  not  be  able  to 
restrain  the  indignation  of  the  soldiers,  who  would 
immolate  him  and  all  his  followers  who  were  out- 
side of  the  fort.  Pontiac  and  his  chiefs  did  not  wait 
for  a  second  intimation,  but  made  all  the  haste  they 
could  to  get  outside  of  the  gates." 

"  Was  it  prudent  in  Major  Gladwin  to  allow  Pon- 
tiac and  his  chiefs  to  leave,  after  they  had  come  into 
the  fort  with  an  intent  to  murder  him  and  his  men  ?" 
said  Henry  Campbell.  "  Would  not  the  major  have 
been  justified  in  detaining  them  ?" 

"I  certainly  think  he  would  have  been,  and  so 
aid  my  uncle,  but  Major  Gladwin  thought  otherwise. 

6* 


66  THE   SETTLERS. 

He  said  that  he  had  promised  safe  conduct  and  pro- 
tection to  and  from  the  fort  before  he  was  aware  of 
the  conspiracy ;  and,  having  made  a  promise,  hia 
honor  would  not  allow  him  to  depart  from  it." 

"At  all  events,  the  major,  if  he  erred,  erred  on 
the  right  side,"  observed  Alfred.  "  I  think  myse'f 
that  he  was  too  scrupulous,  and  that  I  in  his  place 
should  have  detained  some  of  them,  if  not  Pontiac 
himself,  as  a  hostage  for  the  good  behavior  of  the 
rest  of  the  tribes." 

"  The  result  proved  that  if  Major  Gladwin  had 
done  so  he  would  have  done  wisely;  for  the  next 
day,  Pontiac,  not  at  all  disarmed  by  Major  Gladwin's 
clemency,  made  a  most  furious  attack  upon  the  fort. 
Every  stratagem  was  resorted  to,  but  the  attack 
failed.  Pontiac  then  invested  it,  cut  off  all  their 
supplies,  and  the  garrison  was  reduced  to  great  dis- 
tress. But  I  must  break  off  now,  for  here  we  are 
at  Trois  Rivieres,  where  we  shall  remain  for  the 
night.  I  hope  you  will  not  find  your  accommoda- 
tions very  uncomfortable,  Mrs.  Campbell :  I  fear  as 
we  advance  you  will  have  to  put  up  with  worse." 

"  And  we  are  fully  prepared  for  it,  Captain  Sin- 
clair," replied  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  but  my  wife  and  my 
nieces  have  too  much  good  sense  to  expect  London 
hotels  in  the  wilds  of  Canada." 

The  bateaux  were  now  on  shore,  and  the  party 
landed  to  pass  the  night  at  the  small  stockaded  vil- 
lage of  Trois  Roivires. 


THE   SETTLEES.  OT 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Captain  Sinclair  having  stated  that  they  would 
have  a  longer  journey  on  the  following  day,  and  that 
it  would  be  advisable  to  start  as  soon  as  possible, 
they  rose  at  daylight,  and  in  half  an  hour  had  break- 
fasted and  were  again  in  the  boats.  Soon  after  they 
had  pushed  into  the  stream  and  hoisted  the  sails,  for 
the  wind  was  fair,  Mr.  Campbell  inquired  how  far 
they  had  to  go  on  that  day. 

•'  About  fifty  miles  if  we  possibly  can,"  replied 
Captain  Sinclair.  "  We  have  made  seventy-two 
miles  in  the  first  two  days  ;  but  from  here  to  Mon- 
treal, it  is  about  ninety,  and  we  are  anxious  to  get 
the  best  part  over  to-day,  so  that  we  may  land  on  a 
cleared  spot  which  we  know  of,  and  that  I  feel 
quite  sure  in  ;  for  I  regret  to  say,  you  must  trust  to 
your  tents  and  vour  own  bedding  for  this  night,  as 
there  is  no  habitation  large  enough  to  receive  us  on 
the  river's  side,  anywhere  near  where  we  wish  to 
arrive." 

"  Never  mind,  Captain  Sinclair,  we  shall  sleep 
very  sound,  I  dare  say,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell ; 
"  but  where  do  all  the  rest  of  the  party  sleep  ? — 
there  is  only  one  tent." 

"Oh!  never  mind  the  rest  of  the  party;  we  are 
used  to  it,  and  your  gentlemen  won't  mind  it ;  some 
will  sleep  in  the  bateaux,  some  at  the  fire,  some  will 
watch  and  not  sleep  at  all." 

After  some  further  conversation,  Mary  Percival 
observed  to  Captain  Sinclair:  "You  had  not,  I 
believe,  Captain  Sinclair,  quite  finished  your  account 
of  Pontiac  where  you  left  off  yesterday,  at  the  time 


68  THE   SETTLERS. 

when  he  was  blockading  the  Fort  of  Detroit.     Will 
you  oblige  us  by  stating  what  afterward  took  place  ?" 

With  great  pleasure,  Miss  Percival.  There  was 
great  difficulty  in  relieving  the  fort,  as  all  communi- 
cation had  been  cut  off;  at  last  the  governor  sent  his 
aide-de-camp,  Captain  Dalyell,  who  contrived  to 
throw  himself  in  the  fort  with  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men.  He  shortly  afterward  sallied  out  to 
attack  the  entrenchments  of  the  Indians,  but  Pontiac 
having  received  intelligence  of  his  intention,  laid  an 
ambuscade  for  him,  beat  back  the  troops  with  great 
loss,  and  poor  Dalyell  fell  in  the  combat,  that  took 
place  near  a  bridge  which  still  goes  by  the  name  of 
Bloody  Bridge.  Pontiac  cut  off  the  head  of  Captain 
Dalyell,  and  set  it  upon  a  post." 

"So  much  for  Major  Gladwin's  extreme  sense  of 
honor,"  exclaimed  Alfred;  "had  he  detained  Ponti- 
ac as  a  prisoner,  nothing  of  this  kind  would  have 
happened." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Mr.  Alfred,"  replied  Captain 
Sinclair,  "  it  was  letting  loose  a  wolf;  but  Major 
Gladwin  thought  he  was  doing  what  was  right,  and 
therefore  can  not  be  well  blamed.  After  this  defeat, 
the  investment  was  more  strict  than  ever,  and  the 
garrison  suffered  dreadfully.  Several  vessels  which 
were  sent  out  to  supply  the  garrison  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Pontiac,  who  treated  the  men  very  cruelly. 
What  with  the  loss  of  men  and  constant  watching, 
as  well  as  the  want  of  provisions,  the  garrison  was 
reduced  to  the  greatest  privations.  At  last  a  schooner 
came  off  with  supplies,  which  Pontiac  as  usual  at- 
tacked with  his  warriors  in  their  canoes.  The 
schooner  was  obliged  to  stand  out  again,  but  the 
Indians  followed,  and  by  their  incessant  fire  killed 
or  wounded  almost  every  man  on  board  of  her,  and 
at  length  boarded  and  took  possession.  As  they 
were  climbing  up  the  shrouds  and  over  the  gunnel 
of  the  vessel,  the  captain  of  the  vessel,  who  was  a 
most  determined  man,  and  resolved  not  to  fall  intG 
the  hands  of  the  Indians,  called  out  to  the  gunner  tt 


THE   SETTLERS.  69 

set  fire  to  the  magazine,  and  blow  them  all  up  to- 
gether. This  order  was  heard  by  one  of  Pontiac's 
chiefs  acquainted  with  English  ;  he  cried  out  to  the 
other  Indians,  and  sprang  away  from  the  vessel ;  the 
other  Indians  followed  him,  and  hurried  away  in 
their  canoes,  or  by  swimming  as  fast  as  they  could 
from  the  vessel.  The  captain  took  advantage  of  the 
wind  and  arrived  safe  at  the  fort ;  and  thus  was  the 
garrison  relieved  and  those  in  the  fort  saved  from 
destruction  by  the  courage  of  this  one  man." 

"  You  say  that  Pontiac  is  now  dead,  at  least  Mar- 
tin Super  told  us  so.  How  did  he  die,  Captain  Sin- 
clair?" inquired  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  He  was  killed  by  an  Indian,  but  it  is  difficult  to 
say  why.  For  many  years  he  had  made  friends 
with  us  and  had  received  a  liberal  pension  from  the 
government ;  but  it  appears  that  his  hatred  against 
the  English  had  again  broken  out,  and  in  a  council 
held  by  the  Indians,  he  proposed  assailing  us  anew. 
After  he  had  spoken,  an  Indian  buried  his  knife  in 
his  heart,  but  whether  to  gratify  a  private  animosity 
or  to  avoid  a  further  warfare  with  those  who  had 
always  thinned  their  tribes,  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain. 
One  thing  is  certain,  that  most  of  the  Indian  ani- 
mosity against  the  English  is  buried  with  him." 

"  Thank  you,  Captain  Sinclair,"  said  Mary  Per- 
cival,  "  for  taking  so  much  trouble.  I  think  Pontiac's 
history  is  a  very  interesting  one." 

"  There  was  much  to  admire  and  much  to  deplore 
in  his  character,  and  we  must  not  judge  the  Indian 
too  harshly.  He  was  formed  for  command,  and  pos- 
sessed great  courage  and  skill  in  all  his  arrange- 
ments, independent  of  his  having  the  tact  to  keep  all 
the  lake  tribes  of  Indians  combined,  no  very  easy 
task.  That  he  should  have  endeavored  to  drive  us 
away  from  those  lands  of  which  he  considered  him- 
self (and  very  correctly  too)  as  the  sovereign,  is  not 
to  be  Avondered  at,  especially  as  our  encroachments 
daily  increased.  The  great  fault  of  his  character,  in 
our  eyes,  was  his  treachery  ;  but  we  must  remember 


70  THE   SETTLERS. 

that  the  whole  art  of  Indian  warfare  is  based  upon 
stratagem." 

"  But  his  attacking  the  fort  after  he  had  been  so 
generously  dismissed  when  his  intentions  were 
known,  was  surely  very  base,"  remarked  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. 

"What  we  consider  a  generous  dismissal,  haprob- 
ably  mistook  for  folly  and  weakness.  The  Indians 
have  no  idea  of  generosity  in  warfare.  Had  Pontiac 
been  shot,  he  would  have  died  bravely,  and  he  had 
no  idea  that,  because  Major  Gladwin  did  not  think 
proper  to  take  his  life,  he  was  therefore  bound  to  let 
us  remain  in  possession  of  his  lands.  But  whatever 
treachery  the  Indians  consider  allowable  and  proper 
in  warfare,  it  is  not  a  portion  of  the  Indian's  char- 
acter ;  for,  at  any  other  lime  his  hospitality  and  good 
faith  are  not  to  be  doubted,  if  he  pledges  himself  for 
your  safety.  It  is  a  pity  that  they  are  not  Christians. 
Surely  it  would  make  a  great  improvement  in  a 
character  which,  even  in  its  unenlightened  state,  has 
in  it  much  to  be  admired. 

"  When  the  form  of  worship  and  creed  is  simple, 
it  is  difficult  to  make  converts,  and  the  Indian  is  a 
clear  reasoner.  1  once  had  a  conversation  with  one 
of  the  chiefs  on  the  subject.  After  he  had  conversed 
some  time,  he  said,  '  You  believe  in  one  God — so  do 
we  ;  you  call  him  one  name — we  call  him  another  ; 
we  don't  speak  the  same  language,  that  is  the  reason. 
You  say,  suppose  you  do  good,  you  go  to  land  of 
Good  Spirits — we  say  so  too.  Then  Indians  and 
Yangees  (that  is,  English)  both  try  to  gain  same 
object,  only  try  in  not  the  same  way.  Now  I  think 
that  it  is  much  better  that  as  we  all  go  along  to- 
gether, that  every  man  paddle  his  own  canoe.  That 
my  thought.'  " 

"  It  is,  as  you  say,  Captain  Sinclair,  difficult  to 
argue  with  men  who  look  so  straight  forward  and 
are  so  practical  in  their  ideas.  Nevertheless,"  said 
Mrs.  Campbell,  "  a  false  creed  must  often  lead  to 
false  conduct;  and  whatever  is  estimable  in  the  In- 


THE   SETTLERS.  71 

dian  character  would  be  strengthened  and  improved 
Dy  the  infusion  of  Christian  principles  and  Christian 
hopes — so  that  I  must  still  consider  it  very  desirable 
'.hat  the  Indians  should  become  Christians — and  1 
trust  that  by  judicious  and  discreet  measures,  such 
a  result  may  gradually  be  brought  about." 

It  was  two  hours  before  sunset  when  they  arrived 
at  the  spot  at  which  they  intended  to  pass  the  night ; 
they  landed,  and  some  of  the  soldiers  were  employed 
in  setting  up  the  tent  on  a  dry  hillock,  while  others 
collected  logs  of  wood  for  the  fire.  Martin  Super 
brought  on  shore  the  bedding,  and,  assisted  by  Alfred 
and  Henry,  placed  it  in  the  tent.  Captain  Sinclair's 
canteen  provided  sufficient  articles  to  enable  them 
to  make  tea,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  the  kettle 
was  on  the  fire.  As  soon  as  they  had  partaken  of  these 
refreshments  and  the  contents  of  a  basket  of  provis- 
ions procured  at  Trois  Rivieres,  the  ladies  retired  for 
the  night.  Captain  Sinclair  stationed  sentinels  at  dif- 
ferent posts  as  a  security  from  any  intruders,  and  then 
the  remainder  of  the  troops  with  the  other  males 
composing  the  party,  lay  down  with  their  feet  toward 
a  large  fire,  composed  of  two  or  three  trunks  of  trees, 
which  blazed  for  many  yards  in  height.  In  a  short 
time  all  was  quiet,  and  all  were  in  repose  except 
the  sentinels,  the  sergeant  and  corporal,  and  Captain 
Sinclair,  who  relieved  each  other. 

The  night  passed  without  any  disturbance,  and  the 
next  morning  they  reimbarked  and  pursued  their 
course.  Before  sunset,  they  arrived  at  the  town  of 
Montreal,  where  it  had  been  arranged  that  they 
should  wait  a  day.  Mr.  Campbell  had  a  few  pur- 
chases to  make  here,  which  he  completed.  It  had 
been  his  intention  also,  to  procure  two  of  the  small 
Canadian  horses,  but  by  the  advice  of  Captain  Sin- 
clair, he  abandoned  the  idea.  Captain  Sinclair 
pointed  out  to  him,  that  having  no  forage  or  means 
of  subsistence  for  the  animals,  they  would  be  a  great 
expense  to  him  during  the  first  year  without  being 
of  much  use ;  and  further,  that  in  all  probability 


72  THE   SETTLERS. 

when  the  garrison  was  relieved  at  Fort  Frontignac 
on  the  following  year,  the  officers  would  be  too  glad 
to  part  with  their  horses  at  a  lower  price  than  what 
they  could  be  purchased  for  at  Montreal.  Having  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  the  governor,  they  received 
every  attention.  The  society  was  almost  wholly 
French  ;  and  many  of  the  inhabitants  called  out  of 
politeness,  or  to  satisfy  their  curiosity.  The  French 
ladies  shrugged  up  their  shoulders  and  exclaimed, 
"  Est-il  possible  ?'■  when  they  heard  that  the  Camp- 
bells were  about  to  proceed  to  such  a  distant  spot 
and  settle  upon  it.  The  French  gentlemen  told  the 
Miss  Campbells  that  it  was  a  great  sacrifice  to  bury 
so  much  beauty  in  the  wilderness  ;  but  what  they 
said  had  little  effect  upon  any  of  the  party.  Cap- 
tain Sinclair  offered  to  remain  another  day  if  Mr. 
Campbell  wished  it ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  he  was 
anxious  to  arrive  as  soon  as  possible  at  his  destina- 
tion ;  and  the  following  morning  they  again  em- 
barked, having  now  about  three  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  to  ascend  against  the  current  and  the  occasional 
rapids.  It  would  take  too  much  space  if  I  were  to 
narrate  all  that  took  place  during  their  difficult  as- 
cent ;  how  they  were  sometimes  obliged  to  land  and 
carry  the  cargoes  of  the  boats  ;  how  one  or  two  bat- 
eaux were  upset  and  some  of  their  stores  lost ;  and 
how  their  privations  increased  on  each  following 
day  of  the  journey.  I  have  too  much  to  relate  to 
enter  into  this  portion  of  the  narrative,  although 
there  might  be  much  in  the  detail ;  it  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  say  that,  after  sixteen  days  of  some  peril  and 
much  fatigue,  and  of  considerable  suffering,  from 
the  clouds  of  musquitoes  which  assailed  them  during 
the  night,  they  were  landed  safely  at  Fort  Fronlig- 
nac,  and  treated  with  every  attention  by  the  com- 
mandant, who  had  received  letters  from  the  governor 
of  Quebec,  desiring  him  to  do  all  that  he  possibly 
could  to  serve  them.  The  commandant,  Colonel 
Foster,  had  showed  Mr.  Campbell  and  his  party  the 
rooms  which  had  been  provided  for  them,  and  now, 


THE   SETTLERS.  73 

for  the  first  time  after  many  days,  they  found  them- 
selves altogether  and  alone. 

After  a  short  conversation,  in  which  they  canvassed 
and  commented  upon  the  kindness  which  they  had 
received,  and  the  difficulties  which  they  had,  incon- 
sequence, surmounted,  during  their  long  and  tedious 
journey  from  Quebec,  Mr.  Campbell  observed :  "  My 
dear  wife  and  children,  we  have  thus  far  proceeded 
without  serious  casualty  ;  it  has  pleased  the  Al- 
mighty to  conduct  us  safely  over  a  boisterous  sea,  to 
keep  our  spirits  up  by  providing  us  with  unexpected 
friends  and  support,  and  we  have  now  arrived  within 
a  few  miles  of  our  destination.  But  let  us  not  sup- 
pose that  o.ur  perils  and  difficulties  are  terminated  ; 
on  the  contrary,  without  wishing  to  dishearten  you, 
I  feel  that  they  are  about  to  commence.  We  have 
much  privation,  much  fatigue,  and  perhaps,  much 
danger  to  encounter,  before  we  can  expect  to  be  in 
comfort  or  in  security  ;  but  we  must  put  our  trust  in 
that  gracious  Providence  which  has  hitherto  so  mer- 
cifully preserved  us,  and  at  the  same  time  not  relax 
in  our  own  energy  and  industry,  which  must  ever 
accompany  our  faith  in  the  Divine  aid.  It  is  long 
since  we  have  had  an  opportunity  of  being  gathered 
together  and  alone.  Let  us  seize  this  opportunity  of 
pouring  out  our  thanks  to  God  for  his  mercies  already 
vouchsafed,  and  praying  for  a  continuance  of  his 
protection.  Even  in  the  wilderness  let  us  walk 
with  him,  trust  in  him,  and  ever  keep  him  in  our 
thoughts.  We  must  bear  in  mind  that  this  entire  life 
is  but  a  pilgrimage  ;  that  if,  during  its  course,  we 
should  meet  with  affliction  and  distress,  it  is  his  ap- 
pointment, and  designed  undoubtedly  for  our  good. 
It  is  our  wisdom,  as  well  as  duty,  to  submit  patiently 
to  whatever  may  befall  us,  never  losing  our  courage, 
or  becoming  disheartened  V>y  suffering,  but  trusting 
to  the  mercy  and  power  of  Him  who  can  and  will,  at 
his  own  good  time,  deliver  us  from  evil."  Mr. 
Campbell  knelt  down,  surrounded  by  his  family,  and 
in  a  fervent  and   feeling  address,  poured  forth  his 

Vol.  I.— 7 


74  THE   SETTLERS. 

thanksgiving  for  past  mercies  and  humble  solicitation 
for  further  assistance.  So  powerful  and  so  eloquent 
were  his  words,  that  the  tears  coursed  down  the 
cheeks  of  his  wife  and  nieces ;  and  when  he  had 
finished,  all  their  hearts  were  so  full,  that  they 
retired  to  their  beds  without  further  exchange  of 
words  than  receiving  his  blessing  and  wishing  each 
uther  good  night. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  party  were  so  refreshed  by  once  more  sleeping 
upon  good  beds,  that  they  were  up  and  dressed  very 
early,  and  shortly  after  seven  o'clock  were  all  col- 
lected upon  the  rampart  of  the  fort,  surveying  the 
landscape,  which  was  indeed  very  picturesque  and 
beautiful.  Before  them,  to  their  left,  the  lake  was 
spread,  an  inland  sea,  lost  in  the  horizon,  now  quite 
calm,  and  near  to  the  shores  studded  with  small 
islands  covered  with  verdant  foliage,  and  appearing 
as  if  they  floated  upon  the  transparent  water.  To 
the  westward,  and  in  front  of  them,  were  the  clear- 
ings belonging  to  the  fort,  backed  with  the  distant 
woods:  a  herd  of  cattle  were  grazing  on  a  portion  of 
the  cleared  land ;  the  other  was  divided  off  by  a 
snake  fence,  as  it  is  termed,  and  was  under  cultiva- 
tion. Here  and  there  a  log-building  was  raised  as 
a  shelter  for  the  animals  during  the  winter,  and  at 
half  a  mile's  distance  was  a  small  fort,  surrounded 
wi'.h  high  palisades,  intended  as  a  place  of  retreat 
and  security  for  those  who  might  be  in  charge  of  the 
cattle,  in  case  of  danger  or  surprise.  Close  to  the 
fort,  a  rapid  stream,  now  from  the  freshets  overflow- 
ing its  banks,  poured  down  its  waters  into  the  lake, 
running  its  course  through  a  variety  of  shrubs  and 
larches  and  occasional  elms  which  lined  its  banks. 
The  sun  shone  bright — the  woodpeckers  flew  from 
tree  to  tree,  or  clung  to  the  rails  of  the  fences — the 


THE   SETTLERS.  75 

Delted  kingfisher  darted  up  and  down  over  the  run- 
ning stream — and  the  chirping  and  wild  notes  of 
various  birds  were  heard  on  every  side  of  them. 

"This  is  very  beautiful,  is  it  not?"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell ;  "  surely  it  can  not  be  so  great  a  hardship 
to  live  in  a  spot  like  this  ?" 

"Not  if  it  were  always  so,  perhaps,  madam,"  said 
Colonel  Forster,  who  had  joined  the  party  as  Mrs. 
Campbell  made  the  observation.  "  But  Canada  in 
the  month  of  June  is  very  different  from  Canada  in 
January.  That  we  find  our  life  monotonous  in  this 
fort,  separated  as  we  are  from  the  rest  of  the  world, 
I  admit,  and  the  winters  are  so  long  and  severe  as  to 
tire  out  our  patience ;  but  soldiers  must  do  their 
duty  whether  burning  under  the  tropics  or  freezing 
in  the  wilds  of  Canada.  It  can  not  be  a  very  agree- 
able life,  when  even  the  report  of  danger  near  to  us 
becomes  a  pleasurable  feeling  from  the  excitement  it 
causes  for  the  moment. 

"  I  have  been  talking,  Mr.  Campbell,  with  Captain 
Sinclair,  and  find  you  have  much  to  do  before  the 
short  summer  is  over,  to  be  ready  to  meet  the  coming 
winter  ;  more  than  you  can  well  do  with  your  lim- 
ited means.  lam  happy  that  my  instructions  from 
the  governor  will  permit  me  to  be  of  service  to  you. 
I  propose  that  the  ladies  shall  remain  here,  while 
you,  with  such  assistance  as  I  can  give,  proceed  to 
your  allotment,  and  prepare  for  their  reception." 

"  A  thousand  thanks  for  your  kind  offer,  colonel  — 
but  no,  no,  we  will  all  go  together,"  interrupted  Mrs. 
Campbell ;  "  we  can  be  useful,  and  we  will  remain  in 
the  tents  till  the  house  is  built.  Do  not  say  a  word 
more,  Colonel  Forster,  that  is  decided ;  although  I 
again  return  you  many  thanks  for  your  kind  offer." 

"  If  such  is  the  case,  I  have  only  to  observe  that 
I  shall  send  a  fatigue  party  of  twelve  men,  which  I 
can  well  spare  for  a  few  weeks,  to  assist  you  in  your 
labors,"  replied  Colonel  Forster.  "Their  remune- 
ration will  not  put  you  to  a  very  great  expense. 
Captain  Sinclair  has  volunteered  to  take  charge  of  it." 


76  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  Many  thanks,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  and 
as  you  observe  that  we  have  no  time  to  lose,  with 
your  permission  we  will  start  to-morrow  morning." 

"  I  certainly  shall  not  dissuade  you,"  replied  ihe 
commandant,  "  although  I  did  hope  that  I  should 
have  had  the  pleasure  of  your  company  for  a  little 
longer.  You  are  aware  that  I  have  the  governor's 
directions  to  supply  you  with  cattle  from  our  own 
stock,  at  a  fair  price.  I  hardly  need  say  that  you 
may  select  as  you  please." 

"And  I,"  said  Captain  Sinclair,  who  had  been  in 
conversation  with  Mary  Percival,  and  who  now  ad- 
dressed Mr.  Campbell,  "  have  been  making  another 
collection  for  you  from  my  brother  officers,  which 
you  were  not  provided  with,  and  will  find  very  use- 
ful, I  may  say  absolutely  necessary." 

"What  may  that  be,  Captain  Sinclair  ?"  said  Mr. 
Campbell. 

"A  variety  of  dogs  of  every  description.  I  have 
a  pack  of  five  ;  and,  although  not  quite  so  handsome 
as  your  pet  dogs  in  England,  you  will  find  them  well 
acquainted  with  the  country,  and  do  their  duty  well. 
I  have  a  pointer,  a  bull-dog,  two  terriers,  and  a  fox- 
hound—  all  of  them  of  good  courage  and  ready  to 
attack  catamount,  wolf,  lynx,  or  even  a  bear,  if 
required." 

"It  is,  indeed,  a  very  valuable  present,"  replied 
Mr.  Campbell,  "  and  you  have  our  sincere  thanks." 

"  The  cows  you  had  better  select  before  you  go, 
unless  you  prefer  that  I  should  do  it  for  you,"  ob- 
served Colonel  Forster.  "  They  shall  be  driven  over 
in  a  day  or  two,  as  I  presume  the  ladies  will  wish  to 
have  milk.  By-the-by,  Mr.  Campbell,  I  must  let 
you  into  a  secret.  The  wild  onions  which  grow  so 
plentifully  in  this  country,  and  which  the  cattle  are 
very  fond  of,  give  a  very  unpleasant  taste  to  the  milk. 
You  may  remove  it  by  heating  the  milk  as  soon  as  it 
has  been  drawn  from  the  cows." 

"  Many  thanks,  colonel,  for  your  information,"  re* 


THE   SETTLERS.  77 

plied  Mr.  Campbell,  "for  I  certainly  have  no  great 
partiality  to  the  flavor  of  onions  in  milk.'1 

A  summons  to  breakfast  broke  up  the  conversation. 
During  the  day,  Henry  and  Alfred,  assisted  by  Cap- 
tain Sinclair  and  Martin  Super,  were  very  busy  in 
loading  the  two  bateaux  with  the  stores,  tents,  and 
various  trunks  of  linen  and  other  necessaries  which 
they  had  brought  with  them.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, with  the  girls,  were  equally  busy  in  selecting 
and  putting  on  one  side  articles  for  immediate  use  on 
their  arrival  at  the  allotment.  As  they  were  very 
tired,  they  went  to  bed  early,  that  they  might  be 
ready  for  the  next  day's  re-embarkation  ;  and  after 
breakfast,' having  taken  leave  of  the  kind  command- 
ant and  the  other  officers,  they  went  down  to  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  and  embarked  with  Captain  Sin- 
clair in  the  commandant's  boat,  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  them.  Martin  Super,  Alfred,  and  Henry, 
with  the  five  dogs,  went  on  board  of  the  two  bateaux, 
which  were  manned  by  the  corporal  and  twelve  sol- 
diers, lent  by  the  commandant  to  Mr.  Campbell. 
The  weather  was  beautifully  fine,  and  they  set  off 
in  high  spirits.  The  distance  by  water  was  not  more 
than  three  miles,  although  by  land  it  was  nearly  five, 
and  in  halt  an  hour  they  entered  the  cove  adjoining 
to  which  the  allotment  iay. 

"There  is  the  spot,  Mrs.  Campbell,  which  is  to 
be  your  future  residence,"  said  Captain  Sinclair, 
pointing  with  his  hand;  "you  observe  where  that 
brook  runs  down  into  the  lake,  that  is  your  eastern 
boundary ;  the  land  on  the  other  side  is  the  property 
of  the  old  hunter  we  have  spoken  of.  You  see  his 
little  log-hut,  not  much  bigger  than  an  Indian  lodge, 
and  the  patch  of  Indian  corn  now  sprung  out  of  the 
ground  which  is  enclosed  by  the  fence.  This  portion 
appears  not  to  be  of  any  use  to  him,  as  he  has  no 
cattle  of  any  kind,  unless  indeed  they  have  gone  into 
the  bush  ;  but  I  think  some  of  our  men  said  that  he 
lived  entirely  by  the  chase,  and  that  he  has  an  Indian 
wife." 


78  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  Well,"  said  Emma  Percival,  laughing,  "  female 
society  is  what  we  never  calculated  upon.  What  is 
the  man's  name  ?" 

"  Malachi  Bone,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair.  "  1 
presume  you  expect  Mrs.  Bone  to  call  first?" 

"  She  ought  to  do  so,  if  she  knows  the  usage  of 
society,"  replied  Emma  ;  "  but  if  she  does  not,  I 
think  I  shall  waive  ceremony  and  go  and  see  her.  I 
have  great  curiosity  to  make  acquaintance  with  an 
Indian  squaw." 

"You  may  be  surprised  to  hear  me  say  so,  Miss 
Emma,  but  I  assure  you,  without  having  ever  seen 
her,  that  you  will  find  her  perfectly  well  bred.  All 
the  Indian  women  are — their  characters  are  a  com- 
pound of  simplicity  and  reserve. — Keep  the  boat's 
head  more  to  the  right,  Selby,  we  will  land  close  to 
that  little  knoll." 

The  commandant's  boat  had  pulled  much  faster, 
and  was  a  Jong  way  ahead  of  the  bateaux.  In  a  few 
minutes  afterward  they  had  all  disembarked,  and 
were  standing  on  the  knoll,  surveying  their  new 
property.  A  portion  of  about  thirty  acres,  running 
along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  Avas  what  is  termed 
natural  prairie,  or  meadow  of  short  fine  grass ;  the 
land  immediately  behind  the  meadow  was  covered 
with  brushwood  for  about  three  hundred  yards,  and 
then  rose  a  dark  and  impervious  front  of  high  timber 
which  completely  confined  the  landscape.  The  al- 
lotment belonging  to  the  old  hunter,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  brook",  contained  about  the  same  portion 
of  natural  meadow,  and  was  in  other  respecis  but  a 
continuation  of  the  portion  belonging  to  Mr.  Camp- 
bell. 

"  Well,"  said  Martin,  Super,  as  soon  as  he  had 
come  up  to  the  party  on  the  knoll,  for  the  bateaux 
had  now  arrived,  "I  reckon,  Mr.  Campbell,  that  you 
are  in  luck  to  have  this  piece  of  grass.  It  would 
have  taken  no  few  blows  of  the  axe  to  have  cleared 
it  away  out  of  such  a  wood  as  that  behind  us.  Why, 
"t's  as  good  as  a  fortune  to  a  new  settler." 


THE   SETTLERS.  79 

"  I  think  it  is,  Martin,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  Well,  sir,  now  to  Avork  as  soon  as  you  please, 
for  a  day  is  a  day,  and  must  not  be  lost.  I'll  go  to 
the  wood  with  five  or  six  of  the  men  who  can  han- 
dle an  axe,  and  begin  to  cut  down,  leaving  you  and 
the  captain  there  to  decide  where  the  house  is  to  be  ; 
the  other  soldiers  will  be  putting  up  the  tents  all 
ready  for  to-night,  for  you  must  not  expect  a  house 
over  your  heads  till  next  full  moon."' 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  all  were  in  motion.  Henry 
and  Alfred  took  their  axes,  and  followed  Martin 
Super  and  half  of  the  soldiers;  the  others  were  busy 
landing  the  stores  and  pitching  the  tents,  while  Cap- 
tain Sinclair  and  Mr.  Campbell  were  surveying  the 
ground,  that  they  might  choose  a  spot  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  house.  Mrs.  Campbell  remained  sitting 
on  the  knoll,  watching  the  debarkation  of  the  pack- 
ages ;  and  Percival,  by  her  directions,  brought  to  her 
those  articles  which  were  for  immediate  use.  Mary 
and  Emma  Percival,  accompanied  by  John,  as  they 
had  no  task  allotted  for  them,  walked  up  by  the  side 
of  the  stream  toward  the  wood. 

"I  wish  I  had  my  box,"  said  John,  who  had  been 
watching  the  running  water. 

"  Why  do  you  want  your  box,  John  ?"  said  Mary 

"For  my  hooks  in  my  box,"  replied  John. 

"  Why,  do  you  see  any  fish  in  this  small  stream  ?" 
said  Emma. 

"  Yes,"  replied  John,  walking  on  before  them. 

Mary  and  Emma  followed  him,  now  and  then 
stopping  to  pick  a  flower  unknown  to  them  :  when 
they  overtook  John  he  was  standing  immovable, 
pointing  to  a  figure  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream, 
as  fixed  and  motionless  as  himself. 

The  two  girls  started  back  as  they  beheld  a  tall, 
gaunt  man,  dressed  in  deer-hides,  who  stood  leaning 
upon  a  long  gun  with  his  eyes  fixed  up.in  them. 
His  face  was  browned  and  weather-beaten — indeed 
so  dark,  that  it  was  difficult  to  say  if  he  were  of  the 
indian  race  or  not. 


80  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  It  must  be  the  hunter,  Emma,"  said  Mary  Per* 
cival ;  "  he  is  not  dressed  like  the  Indians  we  saw 
at  Quebec." 

"  It  must  be,"  replied  Emma  ;  "  won't  he  speak  ?" 

"  We  will  wait  and  see,"  replied  Mary.  They 
did  wait  for  a  minute  or  more,  but  the  man  neither 
spoke  nor  shifted  his  position. 

"  I  will  speak  to  him,  Mary,"  said  Emma  at  last. 
"My  ejood  man,  you  are  Malachi  Bone,  are  you  not?" 

"  That's  my  name,"  replied  the  hunter  in  a  deep 
voice ;  "  and  who  on  earth  are  you,  and  what  are 
you  doing  here  ?  Is  it  a  frolic  from  the  fort,  or  what 
is  it,  that  causes  all  this  disturbance  ?" 

"  Disturbance  ! — why  we  don't  make  a  great  deal 
of  noise  ;  no,  its  no  frolic  ;  we  are  come  to  settle 
here,  and  shall  be  your  neighbors." 

"  To  settle  here ! — why,  what  on  earth  do  you 
mean,  young  woman  ?  Settle  here  ! — not  you  sure- 
ly." 

"Yes,  indeed,  we  are.  Don't  you  know  Martin 
Super,  the  trapper  ?  He  is  with  us,  and  now  at 
work  in  the  woods  getting  ready  for  raising  the  house, 
as  you  call  it.  Do  you  know  Mary,"  said  Emma  in  a 
low  tone  to  her  sister,  "I'm  almost  afraid  of  that  man, 
although  I  do  speak  so  boldly." 

"  Martin  Super — yes,  I  know  him,"  replied  the 
hunter,  who  without  any  more  ceremony  threw  his 
gun  into  the  hollow  of  his  arm,  turned  round,  and 
walked  away  in  the  direction  of  his  own  hut. 

"  Well,  Mary,"  observed  Emma,  after  a  pause  of 
a  few  seconds,  during  which  they  watched  the  rece- 
ding furm  of  the  hunter,  "  the  old  gentleman  is  not 
over-polite.  Suppose  we  go  back  and  narrate  our 
first  adventure  ?" 

"  Let  us  walk  up  to  where  Alfred  and  Martin 
Super  are  at  work,  and  tell  them,"  replied  Mary. 

They  soon  gained  the  spot  where  the  men  were 
felling  the  trees,  and  made  known  to  Alfred  and 
Martin  what  had  taken  place. 

"  He  is  angered,  rniss,"  observed  Martin ;  "  I  guess- 


THE    SETTLERS.  81 

ed  as  much  ;  well,  if  he  don't  like  it,  he  must  squat 
elsewhere." 

"  How  do  you  mean  squat  elsewhere  ?" 

"I  mean,  miss,  that  if  he  don't  like  company  so 
near  him,  he  must  shift  and  build  his  wigwam  fur- 
iher  off." 

"  But,  why  should  he  not  like  company  ?  I  should 
have  imagined  that  it  would  be  agreeable  rather  than 
otherwise,"  replied  Mary  Percival. 

"  You  may  think  so,  miss ;  but  Malachi  Bone 
thinks  otherwise;  and  il'svery  natural;  a  man  who 
has  lived  all  his  life  in  the  woods,  all  alone,  his  eye 
never  resting,  his  ear  ever  watching ;  catching  at 
every  sound,  even  to  the  breaking  of  a  twig  or  the 
falling  of  a  leaf;  sleeping  with  his  finger  on  his  trig- 
ger and  one  eye  half  open,  gets  used  to  no  company 
but  his  own,  and  can't  abide  it.  I  recollect  the  time 
that  I  could  not.  Why,  miss,  when  a  man  hasn't 
spoken  a  word  perhaps  for  months,  talking  is  a  fa- 
tigue, and,  when  he  hasn't  heard  a  word  spoken  for 
months,  listening  is  as  had.  It's  all  custom,  miss, 
and  Malachi,  as  I  guessed,  don't  like  it,  and  so  he's 
rily  and  angered.  I  will  go  see  him  after  the  work 
is  over." 

"  But  he  has  his  wife,  Martin,  has  he  not  ?" 

"Yes;  but  she's  an  Indian  wife,  Master  Alfred, 
and  Indian  wives  don't  speak  unless  they're  spoken 
to." 

"  What  a  recommendation,"  said  Alfred  laughing ; 
"  I  really  think  I  shall  look  after  an  Indian  wife, 
Emma." 

"  I  think  you  had  better,"  replied  Emma.  "  You'd 
be  certain  of  a  quiet  house — when  you  were  out  of 
it — and  when  at  home,  you  would  have  all  the  talk 
to  yourself,  which  is  just  what  you  like.  Come, 
Mary,  let  us  leave  him  to  dream  of  his  squaw." 

The  men  selected  by  the  commandant  of  the  fort 
were  well  used  to  handle  the  axe;  before  dusk, 
many  trees  had  been  felled,  and  were  ready  for  saw- 
ing into  lengths.     The  tents  had  all  been  pitched: 


82  THE   SETTLERS. 

those  for  the  Campbells  on  the  knoll  we  have  spoken 
of;  Captain  Sinclair's  and  that  for  the  soldiers  about 
a  hundred  yards  distant ;  the  fires  were  lighted,  and 
as  the  dinner  had  been  cold,  a  hot  supper  was  pre- 
pared by  Martin  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  assisted  by  the 
girls  and  the  younger  boys.  After  supper  they  all 
retired  to  an  early  bed  ;  Captain  Sinclair  having  put 
a  man  as  sentry,  and  ihe  dogs  having  been  tied  at 
different  places  that  they  might  give  the  alarm  if 
there  was  any  danger;  which,  however,  was  not 
anticipated,  as  the  Indians  had  for  some  time  been 
very  quiet  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Frontignac. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  next  morning,  when  they  assembled  at  break, 
fast,  after  Mr.  Campbell  had  read  the  prayers,  Mary 
Percival  said,  "Did  you  hear  that  strange  and  loud 
noise  last  night  ?  I  was  very  much  startled  with  it ; 
but,  as  nobody  said  a  word,  I  held  my  tongue." 

"Nobody  said  a  word,  because  everybody  was 
fast  asleep,  I  presume,"  said  Alfred  ;  "  I  heard  noth- 
ing." 

"  It  was  like  the  sound  of  cart-wheels  at  a  dis- 
tance, with  whistling  and  hissing,"  continued  Mary. 

"  1  think  1  can  explain  it  to  you,  as  I  was  up  du- 
ring the  night,  Miss  Percival,"  said  Captain  Sinclair. 
"  It  is  a  noise  you  must  expect  every  night  during 
the  summer  season  ;  but  one  to  which  you  will  soon 
be  accustomed." 

"  Why,  what  was  it  ?" 

"  Frogs — nothing  more  ;  except,  indeed,  the  his- 
sing, which  I  believe  is  made  by  the  lizards.  They 
will  serenade  you  every  night.  I  only  hope  you  will 
not  be  disturbed  by  anything  more  dangerous." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  such  small  creatures  can  make 
Buch  a  din  ?" 


THE    SETTLERS.  83 

"Yes,  when  thousands  join  in  the  concert — I  may 
say  millions." 

"  Well,  I  thank  you  for  the  explanation,  Captain 
Sinclair,  as  it  has  been  some  relief  to  my  mind." 

After  breakfast,  Martin  (we  shall  for  the  future 
leave  out  his  surname)  informed  Mr.  Campbell  that 
he  had  seen  Malachi  Bone,  the  hunter,  who  had 
expressed  great  dissatisfaction  at  their  arrival, 
and  his  determination  to  quit  the  place  if  they  re- 
mained. 

"  Surely,  he  hardly  expects  us  to  quit  the  place 
to  please  him." 

"  No,"  replied  Martin  ;  "  but  if  he  were  cankered 
in  disposition,  which  I  will  say  Malachi  is  not,  he 
might  make  it  very  unpleasant  for  you  to  remain, 
by  bringing  the  Indians  about  you." 

"  Surely,  he  would  not  do  that,"  said  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. 

"No,  I  don't  think  he  would,"  replied  Martin; 
"  because,  you  see,  it's  just  as  easy  for  him  to  go 
further  off'." 

"But  why  should  we  drive  him  away  from  his 
property  any  more  than  we  leave  our  own  ?"  ob- 
served Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  He  says  he  won't  be  crowded,  ma'am  ;  he  can't 
bear  to  be  crowded." 

"  Why,  there's  a  river  between  us." 

"  So  there  is,  ma'am,  but  s t ill  that's  his  feeling.  I 
said  to  him,  that  if  he  would  go,  I  dare  say  Mr. 
Campbell  would  buy  his  allotment  of  him,  and  he 
seems  quite  willing  to  part  with  it." 

"It  would  be  a  great  addition  to  your  property, 
Mr.  Campbell,"  observed  Captain  Sinclair.  "In 
the  first  place,  you  would  have  the  whole  of  the 
prairie  and  the  right  of  the  river  on  both  sides,  ap- 
parently of  no  consequence  now,  but  as  the  country 
fills  up,  most  valuable." 

"  Well,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell,  "  as  I  presume  we 
Khali  remain  here,  or,  at  all  events,  those  who  sur- 
vive me  will,  till  the  country  fills  up,  I  shall  be  most 


84  THE   SETTLERS. 

happy  to  make  any  arrangement  with  Bone  for  the 
purchase  of  his  property." 

"  I'll  have  some  more  talk  with  him,  sir,"  replied 
Martin. 

The  second  day  was  passed  as  was  the  first,  in 
making  preparations  for  erecting  the  house,  which, 
now  that  they  had  obtained  such  unexpected  help, 
was,  by  the  advice  of  Captain  Sinclair,  considerably 
enlarged  beyond  the  size  originally  intended.  As  Mr. 
Campbell  paid  the  soldiers  employed  a  certain  sum 
per  day  for  their  labor,  he  had  less  scruple  in  em. 
ploying  them  longer.  Two  of  them  were  good  car- 
penters, and  a  sawpithad  been  dug,  that  they  might 
prepare  the  doors  and  the  frames  for  the  window- 
sashes  which  Mr.  Campbell  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  bring  Avith  him.  On  the  third  day, 
a  boat  arrived  from  the  fort,  bringing  the  men's 
rations  and  a  present  of  two  fine  bucks  from  the 
commandant.  Captain  Sinclair  went  in  the  boat  to 
procure  some  articles  which  he  required,  and  re- 
turned in  the  evening.  The  weather  continued  fine, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  week,  a  great  deal  of  timber 
was  cut  and  squared.  During  this  time,  Martin  had 
several  meetings  with  the  old  hunter,  and  it  was 
agreed  that  he  should  sell  his  property  to  Mr.  Camp- 
bell :  money  he  appeared  to  care  little  about — in- 
deed, it  was  useless  to  him  ;  gunpowder,  lead,  flints, 
blankets,  and  tobacco,  were  the  principal  articles 
requested  in  the  barter  ;  the  amount,  however,  was 
not  precisely  settled.  An  intimacy  had  been  struck 
up  between  the  old  hunter  and  John  ;  in  what  man- 
ner it  was  difficult  to  imagine,  as  they  both  were 
very  sparing  of  their  words  ;  but  this  was  certain, 
that  John  had  contrived  to  get  across  the  stream 
somehow  or  another,  and  was  now  seldom  at  home 
to  his  meals.  Martin  reported  that  he  was  in  the 
lodge  of  the  old  hunter,  and  that  he  could  come  to 
no  harm  ;  so  Mrs.  Campbell  was  satisfied. 

"  But  what  does  he  do  there,  Martin  ?"  said  Mrs. 


THE   SETTLERS.  85 

Campbell,  as  they  were  clearing  away  the  table 
after  supper. 

"  Just  nothing  but  look  at  the  squaw,  or  at  Mala- 
chi cleaning  his  gun,  or  anything  else  he  may  see. 
He  never  speaks,  that  I  know  of,  and  that's  why  he 
suits  old  Malachi." 

"  He  brought  home  a  whole  basket  of  trout  this 
afternoon,"  observed  Mary ;  "  so  he  is  not  quite  idle." 

"  No,  miss  ;  he's  fishing  at  daylight,  and  gives  one 
half  to  you,  and  the  other  to  old  Bone.  He'll  make 
a  crack  hunter  one  of  these  days,  as  old  Malachi 
says.  He  can  draw  the  bead  on  the  old  man's  rifle 
in  good  style  already,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  How  do  you  mean,  Martin  ?"  said  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. 

"  I  mean  that  he  can  fire  pretty  true,  ma'am,  al- 
though it's  a  heavy  gun  for  him  to  lift ;  a  smaller 
one  would  be  better  for  him." 

"  But  is  he  not  too  young  to  be  trusted  with  a  gun, 
uncle  ?"  said  Mary. 

"  No,  miss,"  interrupted  Martin,  "  you  can't  be 
too  young-.here  ;  the  sooner  a  boy  is  useful  the  bet- 
ter ;  and  the  boy  with  a  gun  is  almost  as  good  as  a 
man — for  the  gun  kills  equally  well,  if  pointed  true. 
Master  Percival  must  have  his  gun  as  soon  as  I  am 
at  leisure  to  teach  him." 

"  I  wish  you  were  at  leisure  now,  Martin,"  cried 
Percival. 

"You  forget,  aunt,  that  you  promised  to  learn  to 
load  and  fire  a  rifle  yourself,"  said  Mary. 

"  No,  I  do  not ;  and  I  intend  to  keep  my  word,  as 
soon  as  there  is  time  :  but  John  is  so  very  young." 

"  Well,  Mary,  I  suppose  Ave  must  enlist  too,"  said 
Emma. 

"Yes  ;  we'll  be  the  female  rifle  brigade,"  replied 
Mary,  laughing. 

"  I  really  quite  like  the  idea,"  continued  Fmma  ; 
"  I  will  put  up  with  no  impertinence,  reco^ect,  Al- 
fred ;  excite  my  displeasure,  and  I  shall  ta^e  down 
my  rifle." 

Vol.  I.— 8 


86  THE    SETTLERS. 

"  I  suspect  you  will  do  more  execution  with  your 
eyes,  Emma,"  replied  Alfred,  laughing. 

"  Not  upon  a  catamount,  as  Martin  calls  it.  Pray, 
what,  is  a  catamount  V 

"A  painter,  miss." 

"  Oli !  now  I  know  :  a  catamount  is  a  painter,  and 
a  painter  is  a  leopard  or  a  panther.  As  I  live,  uncle, 
here  comes  the  old  hunter,  with  John  trotting  at  his 
heels.  I  thought  he  would  come  at  last.  The  visit 
is  to  me,  I'm  sure,  for  when  we  first  met  he  was 
dumb  wiih  astonishment." 

"  He  well  might  be,"  observed  Captain  Sinclair  ; 
"  he  has  not  often  met  with  such  objects  as  you  and 
your  sister  in  the  woods." 

"  No,"  replied  Emma  ;  "  an  English  squaw  must 
De  rather  a  rarity." 

As  she  said  this,  old  Malachi  Bone  came  up,  and 
seated  himself,  without  speaking,  placing  his  rifle 
between  his  knees. 

"  Your  servant,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  I  hope 
you  are  well." 

"  What  on  earth  makes  you  come  here  ?"  said 
Bone,  looking  round  him.  "  You  are  not  fit  for  the 
wilderness  !  Winter  will  arrive  soon  ;  and  then  you 
go  back,  I  reckon." 

"  No,  we  shall  not,"  replied  Alfred,  "  for  we  have 
nowhere  to  go  back  to :  hesides,  the  people  are  too 
crowded  where  we  came  from,  so  we  came  here  for 
more  room." 

"  I  reckon  you'll  crowd  me,"  replied  the  hunter  ; 
"  so  I'll  go  further." 

"  Well,  Malachi,  the  gentleman  will  pay  you  for 
your  clearing." 

"  I  told  you  so,"  said  Martin. 

"  Yes,  you  did  ;  but  I'd  rather  not  have  seen  him 
or  his  goods." 

"  By  goods,  I  suppose  you  mean  us  about  you," 
said  Emma. 

"  No,  girl,  I  didn't  mean  you.  I  meant  gunpow- 
der and  the  like." 


THE   SETTLERS.  87 

"I  think,  Emma,  you  are  comprehended  in  the 
last  word,"  said  Alfred. 

"  That  is  more  than  you  are,  then,  for  he  did  not 
mention  lead,"  retorted  Emma. 

"  Martin  Super,  you  know  I  did  specify  lead  on 
the  paper,"  said  Malachi  Bone. 

"  You  did,  and  you  shall  have  it,"  said  Mr.  Camp- 
bell. "  Say  what  your  terms  are  now,  and  I  will 
close  with  you." 

"Well,  I'll  leave  that  to  Martin  and  you,  stran- 
ger.    I  clear  out -to-morrow." 

"  To-morrow  ;  and  where  do  you  go  to  ?" 

Malachi  Bone  pointed  to  the  westward. 

"  You'll-  not  hear  my  rifle,"  said  the  old  hunter, 
after  a  pause  ;  "  but  I'm  thinking  you'll  never  stay 
here.  You  don't  know  what  an  Ingen's  life  is  ;  it 
an't  fit  for  the  like  of  you.  No,  there's  not  one  of 
you,  'cept  this  boy,"  continued  Malachi,  putting  his 
hand  on  John's  head,  "  that's  fit  for  the  woods.  Let 
him  come  to  me.  I'll  make  a  hunter  of  him,  won't 
I,  Martin  ?" 

"  That  you  will,  if  they'll  spare  him  to  you." 

"We  can  not  spare  him  altogether,"  replied  Mr. 
Campbell,  "  but  he  shall  visit  you,  if  you  wish 
it." 

"  Well,  that's  a  promise  :  and  I  won't  go  so  far  as 
I  thought  I  would.  He  has  a  good  eye  ;  I'll  come 
for  him." 

The  old  man  then  rose  up,  and  walked  away,  John 
following  him,  without  exchanging  a  word  with 
any  of  the  party. 

"  My  dear  Campbell,"  said  his  wife,  "  what  do 
you  intend  to  do  about  John  ?  You  do  not  intend 
that  the  hunter  should  take  him  with  him?" 

"No,  certainly  not,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  but 
I  see  no  reason  why  he  should  not  be  with  him  oc- 
casionally." 

"  It  will  be  a  very  good  thing  for  him  to  be  so," 
said  Martin.  "  If  I  may  advise,  let  the  boy  come 
and  go.     The  old  man  has  taken  a  fancy  to  him,  and 


88  THE   SETTLERS. 

will  teach  him  his  wood-craft.     It's  as  well  lo  make 
a  friend  of  Malachi  Bone." 

"Why,  what  good  can  he  do  us?"  inquired 
Henry. 

"  A  friend  in  need  is  a  friend  indeed,  sir ;  and  a 
friend  in  the  wilderness  is  not  to  be  thrown  away 
Old  Malachi  is  going  further  out,  and  if  danger  oc- 
curs, we  shall  know  it  from  lum,  for  the  sake  of  the 
hoy,  and  have  his  help  too,  if  we  need  it." 

"  There  is  much  good  sense  in  Martin  Super's  re- 
marks, Mr.  Campbell,"  observed  Captain  Sinclair. 
"  You  will  then  have  Malachi  Bone  as  an  advanced 
guard,  and  the  fort  to  fall  back  upon,  if  necessary  to 
retreat." 

"  And,  perhaps,  the  most  useful  education  which 
he  can  receive  to  prepare  him  for  his  future  life  will 
be  from  the  old  hunter." 

"  The  only  one  which  he  will  take  to  kindly,  at  all 
events,"  observed  Henry. 

"  Let  him  go,  sir — let  him  go,"  said  Martin. 

"  I  will  give  no  positive  answer,  Martin,"  replied 
Mr.  Campbell.  "At  all  events,  I  will  permit  him 
to  visit  the  old  man ;  there  can  be  no  objection  to 
that ;  but  it  is  bedtime." 


THK   SETTLERS.  89 


CHAPTER  XI. 

We  must  pass  over  six  weeks,  during  which  the 
labor  was  continued  without  intermission,  and  the 
house  was  raised,  of  logs,  squared  and  well  fitted; 
the  windows  and  doors  were  also  put  in,  and  the 
roof  well  covered  in  with  large  squares  of  birch-bark, 
firmly  fixed  on  the  rafters.  The  house  consisted  of 
one  large  room,  as  a  dining-room,  and  the  kitchen, 
with  a  floor  of  well-beaten  clav,  a  smaller  room,  as 
a  sitting-room,  and  three  bed-rooms,  all  of  which 
Avere  floored  ;  one  of  the  largest  of  them  fitted  all 
round  with  bed-places  against  the  walls,  in  the  same 
way  as  on  board  of  packets ;  this  room  was  for  the 
four  boys,  and  had  two  spare  bed-places  in  it.  The 
others,  which  were  for  the  two  girls  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell,  were  much  smaller.  But  before  the 
house  was  half  built,  a  large  outhouse  adjoining  to 
it  had  been  raised  to  hold  the  stores  which  Mr. 
Campbell  had  brought  with  him,  with  a  rough  gra- 
nary made  above  the  store-room.  The  interior  of 
the  house  was  not  yet  fitted  up,  although  the  furni- 
ture had  been  put  in,  and  the  family  slept  in  it, 
rough  as  it  was,  in  preference  to  the  tents,  as  they 
were  very  much  annoyed  with  moschetoes.  The 
stores  were  now  safe  from  the  weather,  and  they  had 
a  roof  over  their  heads,  which  was  the  grand  object 
that  was  to  be  obtained.  The  carpenters  were  still 
very  busy  fitting  up  the  interior  of  the  house,  and  the 
other  men  were  splitting  rails  for  a  snake-fence,  and 
also  selecting  small  timber  for  raising  a  high  pali- 
sade round  the  premises.  Martin  had  not  been  idle. 
The  site  of  the  house  was  just  where  the  brushwood 
joined  to  the  prairie,  and  Martin  had  been  clearing 
it  away  and  stacking  it,  and  also  collecting  wood  for 

8* 


90  THK   SETTLERS. 

winter  fuel.  It  had  been  decided  that  the  four  cows, 
which  had  been  driven  round  from  the  fort,  should 
be  housed  during  the  winter  in  the  small  building 
on  the  other  side  of  the  stream,  which  had  belonged 
to  Malachi  Bone,  as  it  was  surrounded  with  a  high 
snake-fence,  and  sufficiently  large  to  hold  them  and 
even  more.  The  commandant  had  very  kindly  se- 
lected the  most  quiet  cows  to  milk,  and  Mary  and 
Emma  Percival  had  already  entered  upon  their  du- 
ties :  the  milk  had  been  put  into  the  storehouse, 
until  a  dairy  could  be  built  up.  A  very  neat  bridge 
had  been  thrown  across  the  stream,  and  every  morn- 
ing the  two  girls,  generally  attended  by  Henry,  Al- 
fred, or  Captain  Sinclair,  crossed  over,  and  soon 
became  expert  in  their  new  vocation  as  dairy-maids. 
Altogether,  things  began  to  wear  a  promising  ap- 
pearance. Henry  and  Mr.  Campbell  had  dug  up  as 
fast  as  Martin  and  Alfred  cleared  away  the  brush- 
wood, and  the  garden  had  already  been  cropped 
with  such  few  articles  as  could  be  put  in  at  the  sea- 
son. The  commandmant  had  some  pigs  ready  for 
the  settlers  as  soon  as  they  were  ready  to  receive 
them,  and  had  more  than  once  come  up  in  the  boats 
to  ascertain  their  progress,  and  to  offer  any  advice 
that  he  might  consider  useful. 

We  must  not,  however,  forget  Malachi  Bone.  The 
day  after  Bone  had  come  to  Mr.  Campbell,  Emma 
perceived  him  going  away  into  the  woods,  with  his 
rifle,  followed  by  her  cousin  John,  and  being  very 
curious  to  see  his  Indian  wife,  she  persuaded  Alfred 
and  Captain  Sinclair  to  accompany  her  and  Mary  to 
the  other  side  of  the  stream.  The  great  point  was 
to  know  where  to  cross  it,  but  as  John  had  found  out 
the  means  of  so  doing,  it  was  to  be  presumed  that 
there  was  a  passage,  and  they  set  off  to  look  for  it. 
Tiny  found  that,  about  half  a  mile  up  the  stream, 
which  there  ran  through  the  wood,  a  large  tree  had 
been  blown  down  and  laid  across  it,  and,  with  tiie 
assistance  of  the  young  men,  Mary  and  Emma  passed 
it  without  much  difficulty;  they  then  turned  back 


THE   SETTLERS.  01 

by  the  side  of  the  stream  until  they  approached  the 
lodge  of  old  Malachi.  As  they  walked  toward  it, 
they  could  not  perceive  any  one  stirring ;  but  at  last 
a  dog  of  the  Indian  breed  began  to  bark  ;  still  no- 
body came  out,  and  they  arrived  at  the  door  of  the 
lodge  where  the  dog  stood  ;  when,  sitting  on  the 
floor,  they  perceived  the  Indian  girl  whom  they 
were  in  search  of.  She  was  very  busy  sewing  a  pair 
ol  mocassins  out  of  deer  leather.  She  appeared 
startled  when  she  first  saw  Alfred  ;  but  when  she 
perceived  that  the  young  ladies  were  with  him,  her 
confidence  returned.  She  slightly  bowed  her  head, 
and  continued  her  work. 

"How.  very  young  she  is,"  said  Emma;  "why 
she  can  not  be  more  than  eighteen  years  old." 

"  I  doubt  if  she  is  so  much,"  replied  Captain  Sin- 
clair. 

"  She  has  a  very  modest,  unaffected  look,  has  she 
not,  Alfred  ?"  said  Mary. 

"Yes  ;  I  think  there  is  something  very  preposses- 
sing in  her  countenance." 

"  She  is  too  young  a  wife  for  the  old  hunter,  at  all 
events,"  observed  Alfred. 

"  That  is  not  unusual  among  the  Indians,"  said 
Captain  Sinclair  ;  "  a  very  old  chief  will  often  have 
three  or  four  young  wives  ;  they  are  to  be  considered 
more  in  the  light  of  his  servants  than  anything 
else." 

"  But  she  must  think  us  very  rude  to  talk  and  stare 
at  her  in  tlr's  manner  ;  I  suppose  she  can  not  speak 
English." 

"I  will  sneak  to  her  in  her  own  language,  if  she 
is  a  Chippeway  or  of  any  of  the  tribes  about  here, 
for  they  all  have  the  same  dialect,"  said  Captain  Sin- 
clair. 

Captain  Sinclair  addressed  her  in  the  Indian  lan- 
guage, and  the  Indian  girl  replied  in  a  very  soft 
vo-'ce. 

"She  says  her  husband  is  gone   to  bring  home 


92  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  Tell  her  we  are  coming  to  live  here,  and  will 
give  her  anything  she  wants." 

Captain  Sinclair  again  addressed  her,  and  received 
her  answer. 

"  She  says  that  you  are  beautiful  flowers,  but  not 
the  wild  flowers  of  the  country,  and  that  the  cold 
winter  will  kill  you." 

"  Tell  her  she  will  find  us  alive  next  summer," 
said  Emma;  "and,  Captain  Sinclair,  give  her  this 
brooch  of  mine,  and  tell  her  to  wear  it  for  my  sake." 

Captain  Sinclair  gave  the  message  and  the  orna- 
ment to  the  Indian  girl,  who  replied,  as  she  looked 
up  and  smiled  at  Emma  : — 

"That  she  would  never  forget  the  beautiful  lily 
who  was  so  kind  to  the  little  strawberry-plant." 

"  Really  her  language  is  poetical  and  beautiful," 
observed  Mary  ;  "I  have  nothing  to  give  her — Oh! 
yes,  I  have  ;  here  is  my  ivory  needle-case,  with  some 
needles  in  it.  Tell  her  it  will  be  of  use  to  her 
when  she  sews  her  moccasins.  Open  it  and  show 
her  what  is  inside." 

"She  says  that  she  shall  be  able  to  work  faster 
and  better,  and  wishes  to  look  at  your  foot,  that  she 
may  be  grateful ;  so  put  your  foot  out,  Miss  Percival." 

Mary  did  so :  the  Indian  girl  examined  it,  and 
smiled  and  nodded  her  head. 

"  Oh,  Captain  Sinclair,  tell  her  that  the  little  boy 
who  is  gone  with  her  husband  is  our  cousin." 

Captain  Sinclair  reported  her  answer,  which  was, 
"  He  will  be  a  great  hunter  and  bring  home  plenty 
of  erame  by-and-by." 

"Well,  now  tell  her  that  we  shall  always  be  hap- 
py to  see  her,  and  that  we  are  going  home  again  ; 
and  ask  her  name,  and  tell  her  our  own." 

As  Captain  Sinclair  interpreted,  the  Indian  girl 
pronounced  after  him  the  names  of  Mary  and  Emma 
very  distinctly.  "  She  has  your  names,  you  perceive  ; 
her  own,  translated  into  English,  is  the  Slrawberry- 
plant." 

They  then  nodded  farewell  to  the  young  Indian, 


THE   SETTLERS.  93 

tnd  returned  home.  On  the  second  evening  after 
their  visit,  as  they  were  at  supper,  the  conversation 
turned  upon  the  hunter  and  his  young  Indian  wife, 
when  John,  who  had  as  usual  been  silent,  suddenly 
broke  out  with,  "  Goes  away  to-morrow  !" 

"  They  go  away  to-morrow,  John  ;  where  do  thev 
jo  to  V  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"Woods,"  replied  John. 

John  was  correct  in  his  statement.  Early  the 
next  morning,  Malachi  Bone,  with  his  rifle  on  his 
shoulder  and  an  axe  in  his  hand,  was  seen  crossing 
the  prairie  belonging  to  Mr.  Campbell,  followed  by 
his  wife,  who  was  bent  double  under  her  burden, 
which  was  composed  of  all  the  property  which  the 
old  hunter  possessed,  tied  up  in  blankets.  He  had 
left  word  the  night  before  with  Martin  that  he  would 
come  back  in  a  few  days,  as  soon  as  he  had  squatted, 
to  settle  the  bargain  for  his  allotment  of  land  made 
over  to  Mr.  Campbell.  This  was  just  before  they 
had  sat  down  to  breakfast,  and  then  thev  observed 
that  John  was  missing. 

"  He  was  here  just  before  prayers,"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell.  "  He  must  have  slipped  away  afler  the 
old  hunter." 

"  No  doubt  of  that,  ma'am,"  said  Martin.  "  He  will 
go  with  him  and  find  out  where  he  puts  up  his  wig- 
wam, and  after  that  he  will  come  back  to  you  ;  so 
there  is  no  use  sending  after  him  ;  indeed,  we  don't 
know  which  way  to  send." 

Martin  was  right.  Two  days  afterward,  John 
made  his  appearance  again,  and  remained  very 
quietly  at  home  during  the  whole  week,  catching 
fish  in  the  stream  or  practising  with  a  bow  and  some 
arrows,  which  he  had  obtained  from  Malachi  Bone  ; 
but  the  boy  appeared  to  be  more  taciturn  and  more 
fond  of  being  alone  than  ever  he  was  before  ;  still 
he  was  obedient  and  kind  toward  his  mother  and 
cousins,  and  was  fond  of  Percival's  company  when 
he  went  to  take  trout  from  the  stream. 

It  was   of  course  after  the  departure  of  the  old 


94  THE   SETTLERS. 

hunter,  that  his  log-hut  was  taken  possession  of  and 
the  cows  put  into  the  meadow  in  front  of  it. 

As  the  work  became  more  advanced,  Martin  went 
out  every  day,  accompanied  either  by  Alfred  or 
Henry,  in  pursuit  of  game.  Mr.  Campbell  had  pro- 
cured an  ample  supply  of  ammunition,  as  well  as 
the  rifles,  at  Quebec.  These  had  been  unpacked, 
and  the  young  men  were  becoming  daily  more  ex- 
pert. Up  to  the  present,  the  supply  of  game  from 
the  fort,  and  occasional  fresh  beef,  had  not  rendered 
it  necessary  for  Mr.  Campbell  to  have  much  recourse 
to  his  barrels  of  salt  pork,  but  still  it  was  necessary 
that  a  supply  should  be  procured  as  often  as  possi- 
ble, that  they  might  husband  their  stores.  Martin 
was  a  certain  shot  if  within  distance,  and  they  sel- 
dom returned  without  a  deer  slung  between  them. 
The  garden  had  been  cleared  away  and  the  pig-sties 
were  finished,  but  there  was  still  the  most  arduous 
portion  of  the  work  to  commence,  which  was  the 
felling  of  the  trees  to  clear  the  land  for  the  growing 
of  corn.  In  this  they  could  expect  no  assistance 
from  the  garrison  ;  indeed,  from  the  indulgence  of 
the  commandant,  they  had  already  obtained  more 
than  they  could  have  expected.  It  was  in  the  last 
days  of  August,  and  the  men  lent  from  the  garrison 
were  about  to  be  recalled  ;  the  houses  were  com- 
pleted, the  palisade  had  been  raised  round  the  house 
and  storehouse,  and  the  men  were  now  required  at 
the  fort.  Captain  Sinclair  received  several  hints 
from  the  commandant  that  he  must  use  all  conveni- 
ent despatch,  and  limit  his  absence  to  a  few  days 
more,  which  he  trusted  would  be  sufficient.  Cap- 
tain Sinclair,  who  would  willingly  have  remained  in 
society  which  he  so  much  valued,  and  who  had  now 
become  almost  one  of  the  family,  found  that  he 
could  make  no  more  excuses.  He  reported  that  he 
would  be  ready  to  return  on  the  1st  of  September, 
and  on  the  morning  of  that  day  the  bateaux  arrived 
to  take  back  the  soldiers,  and  bring  the  pigs  and 
fowls  which   had   been   promised.     Mr.    Campbell 


THE    SETTLERS.  95 

settled  his  account  with  Captain  Sinclair,  by  a  draft 
upon  his  banker  at  Quebec,  for  the  pay  of  the  sol- 
diers, the  cows,  and  the  pigs.  The  captain  then 
took  leave  of  his  friends  with  mutual  regret,  and 
many  kind  adieus,  and,  accompanied  by  the  whole 
of  the  family  to  the  beach,  embarked  with  all  his 
men  and  pulled  away  for  the  fort. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Campbells  remained  for  some  time  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake  watching  the  receding  bateaux 
until  they  turned  round  the  point  and  were  hidden 
from  their  sight,  and  then  they  walked  back  to  the 
house.  But  few  words  were  exchanged  as  they 
returned,  for  they  felt  a  sensation  of  loneliness 
from  having  parted  with  so  many  of  their  own  coun- 
trymen ;  not  that  they  were,  with  the  exception  of 
Captain  Sinclair,  companions,  but  that,  accustomed 
to  the  sight  of  the  soldiers  at  their  labor,  the  spot 
now  appeared  depopulated  by  their  departure.  Mar- 
tin, too,  and  John,  were  both  absent ;  the  latter  had 
been  two  days  away,  and  Martin,  who  had  not  yet 
found  time  to  ascertain  where  old  Malachi  Bone  had 
fixed  his  new  abode,  had  gone  out  in  search  of  it, 
and  to  mention  to  him  Mr.  Campbell's  wishes  as  to 
John's  visits  to  him,  which  were  becoming  more 
frequent  and  more  lengthened  than  Mr.  Campbell 
wished  them  to  be. 

When  they  entered  the  house,  they  all  sat  down, 
and  Mr.  Campbell  then  first  spoke. 

"Well,  my  dearest  wife,  here  we  are  at  last,  left, 
to  ourselves  and  to  own  resources.  I  am  not  at  all 
doubtful  of  our  doing  well,  if  we  exert  ourselves,  as 
it  is  our  duty  to  do.  I  grant  that  we  may  have  hard- 
ships to  combat,  difficulties  to  overcome,  and  occa- 
sional disappointments  and  losses  to  bear  up  against ; 
but  let  us  recollect  how  greatly  we  have,  through 


96  THE    SETTLERS. 

Providence,  been  already  assisted  and  encouraged, 
how  much  help  we  have  received,  and  how  much 
kindness  we  have  experienced.  Surely  we  ought 
to  feel  most  grateful  to  Heaven  for  blessings  already 
vouchsafed  to  us,  and  ought  to  have  a  firm  and  live- 
ly faith  in  Him,  who  has  hitherto  so  kindly  watched 
over  us.  Let  us  not  then  repine  or  feel  dispirited, 
but  with  grateful  hearts  do  our  duty  cheerfully  in  that 
state  of  life  to  which  it  has  pleased  Him  to  call  us." 

"I  agree  with  you,  my  dear  husband,"  replied 
Mrs.  Campbell,  "nay,  I  can  say  with  sincerity,  that 
I  am  not  sorry  we  are  now  left  to  our  own  exertions, 
and  that  we  have  an  opportuniy  of  proving  that  we 
can  do  without  the  assistance  of  others.  Up  to  the 
present,  our  trial  has  been  nothing;  indeed,  I  can 
fancy  to  myself  what  our  trials  are  to  be.  Come 
they  may,  but  from  what  quarter  I  can  not  form  an 
idea :  should  they  come,  however,  I  trust  we  shall 
show  our  gratitude  for  past  blessings,  and  our  faith 
derived  from  past  deliverances,  by  a  devout  submis- 
sion to  whatever  the  Almighty  may  please  to  try  or 
chasten  us  with." 

"Right,  my  dear,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell ;  "we 
will  hope  for  the  best ;  we  are  as  much  under  his 
protection  here  in  the  wilderness,  as  we  were  at 
"Wexton  park;  we  were  just  as  liable  to  all  the  ills 
which  flesh  is  heir  to  when  we  were  living  in  opu- 
lence and  luxury  as  we  are  now  in  this  log-house ; 
hut  we  are,  I  thank  God,  not  so  liable  in  our  present 
position  to  forget  Him  who  so  bountifully  provides 
for  us,  and  in  his  wisdom  ordereth  all  our  ways. 
Most  truly  has  the  poet  said — 

"  '  Sweet  are  the  uses  of  adversity.' " 

"  Well,"  observed  Emma,  after  a  pause,  as  if  to 
give  a  more  lively  turn  to  the  conversation,  "  I  won- 
der what  my  trials  are  to  be  !  Depend  upon  it,  the 
cow  will  kick  down  the  pail,  or  the  butter  won't 


THE   SETTLERS.  97 

"Or  you'll  get  chapped  fingers  in  the  wintertime, 
and  chilblains  on  your  feet,"  continued  Mary. 

"  That  will  be  bad  ;  but  Captain  Sinclair  says 
that  if  we  don't  take  care  we  shall  be  frost-bitten, 
and  lose  the  tips  of  our  noses." 

"  That  would  be  hard  upon  you,  Emma,  for  you've 
none  to  spare,"  said  Alfred. 

"  Well,  you  have,  Alfred,  so  yours  oucht  to  go 
first." 

"We  must  look  after  one  another's  noses,  they 
Bay,  as  we  can  not  tell  if  our  own  is  in  danger  ;  and 
if  we  see  a  white  spot  on  another's  nose  we  must 
take  a  bit  of  snow  and  rub  it  well ;  a  little  delicate 
attention  peculiar  to  this  climate." 

"  I  can  not  say  that  I  do  not  know  what  my  trials 
are  to  be,"  said  Alfred — '*  that  is,  trials  certain ;  nor 
can  Henry,  either.  When  I  look  at  the  enormous 
trunks  of  these  trees,  which  we  have  to  cut  down 
with  our  axes,  I  feel  positive  that  it  will  be  a  hard 
trial  before  we  master  them.  Don't  you  think  so, 
Harry  ?" 

"  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  have  at  least  two 
new  skins  upon  my  hands  before  the  winter  comes 
on,"  replied  Henry  ;  "  but  felling  timber  was  not  a 
part  of  my  university  education." 

"  No,"  replied  Alfred  ;  "  Oxford  don't  teach  that ; 
now,  my  university  education — " 

"  Your  university  education  !"  cried  Emma. 

"Yes,  mine;  I  have  sailed  all  over  the  universe, 
and  that  I  call  a  university  education  ;  but  here 
come  Martin  and  John.  Why,  John  has  got  a  gun 
on  his  shoulder  !  He  must  have  taken  it  with  him 
when  he  last  disappeared." 

"  I  suppose  that  by  this  time  he  knows  how  to  use 
it,  Alfred,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  replied  Martin,  who  had  entered  ; 
"  he  knows  well  how  to  use  and  how  to  take  care  of 
it  and  take  care  of  himself.  I  let  him  bring  it 
home  on  purpose  to  watch  him.  He  has  fired  and 
loaded  twice  as  we  came  back,  and  has  killed  this 

Vol.  L— 9 


98  THE   SETTLERS. 

wood-chuck,"  continued  Martin,  throwing  the  dead 
animal  on  the  floor.  "  Old  Malachi  has  taught  him 
well,  and  he  has  not  forgotten  his  lessons." 

"  What  animal  is  that,  Martin— is  it  good  to  eat  ?" 
said  Henry. 

"  Not  very  good,  sir  ;  it's  an  animal  that  burrows 
in  the  ground,  and  is  very  hurtful  in  a  garden  or  to 
the  young  maize,  and  we  always  shoot  them  when 
we  meet  with  them." 

"  It's  a  pity  that  it's  not  good  to  eat." 

"  Oh  !  you  may  eat  it,  sir ;  I  don'l  say  it's  not  fit 
to  eat ;  but  there  are  other  things  much  better." 

"  That's  quite  sufficient  for  me  Martin,"  said  Em- 
ma ;  "  I  shall  not  taste  him  ;  at  all  events,  not  this 
time,  whatever  I  may  have  to  do  by-and-by." 

"  I  spoke  to  old  Bone,  sir,  and  he  says  it's  all 
right ;  that  he  won't  keep  him  more  than  a  day 
without  first  sending  him  to  you  to  ask  leave." 

"  That's  all  I  require,  Martin." 

"  They  have  been  out  these  two  days,  and  had 
only  just  come  home  when  I  arrived  there.  The 
game  was  still  in  the  wood." 

"  I  shot  a  deer,"  said  John. 

"  You  shot  a  deer,  John  !"  said  Alfred  ;  "  why, 
what  a  useful  fellow  you  will  be  by-and-by." 

"Yes,  sir,  old  Malachi  told  me  that  the  boy  had 
shot  a  deer,  and  that  he  would  bring  it  here  to-mor- 
row himself." 

"  I'm  glad  of  that,  for  I  wish  to  speak  with  him," 
said  Mr.  Campbell ;  "but,  John,  how  came  you  to 
take  the  rifle  with  you  without  leave  ?" 

John  made  no  answer. 

"Answer  me,  John." 

"  Can't  shoot  without  a  gun,"  replied  John. 

"No,  you  can  not ;  but  the  rifle  is  not  yours." 

"Give  it  me,  and  I'll  shoot  everything  for  dinner," 
replied  John. 

"I  think  you  had  better  do  so,  firmer,"  said  Hen- 
ry, in  a  low  voice  ;  "  the  temptation  will  be  too 
strong." 


THE    SETTLERS.  99 

"You  are  right,  Henry,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell, 
aside.  "  Now,  John,  I  will  give  you  the  rifle,  if  you 
will  promise  me  to  ask  leave  when  you  want  to  go, 
and  always  come  back  at  the  time  you  have  prom- 
ised." 

"  I'll  always  tell  when  I  go,  if  mamma  will  always 
let  me  go,  and  I'll  always  come  back  when  I  prom- 
ise, if—"  v 

"If  what?" 

"  If  I've  killed,"  replied  John. 

"He  means,  sir,  that  if  he  is  on  the  track  when 
his  leave  is  out,  that  he  must  follow  it  ;  but  as 
soon  as  he  has  either  lost  his  game  or  killed  it, 
he  will  then  come  home.  That's  the  feeling  of  a 
true  hunter,  sir,  and  you  must  not  balk  it." 

"Very  true;  well  then,  John,  recollect  that  you 
promise." 

"  Martin,"  said  Percival,  "when  are  you  to  teach 
me  to  fire  the  rifle." 

"  Oh,  very  soon  now,  sir  ;  but  the  soldiers  are 
gone,  and  as  soon  as  you  can  hit  the  mark,  you  shall 
go  out  with  Mr.  Alfred  or  me." 

"And  when  are  we  to  learn,  Mary?"  said  Emma. 

"I'll  teach  you,  cousins,"  said  Alfred,  "and  give 
a  lesson  to  my  honored  mother." 

"  Well,  we'll   all  learn,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"What's  to  be  done  to-morrow,  Martin?"  said 
Alfred. 

"  Why,  sir,  there  are  boards  enough  to  make  a 
fishing-punt,  and  if  you  and  Mr.  Henry  will  help  me, 
I  think  Ave  shall  have  one  made  in  two  or  three 
days.  The  lake  is  full  offish,  and  it's  a  pity  not  to 
have  some  while  the  weather  is  so  fine." 

"I've  plenty  of  lines  in  the  storeroom," said  Mr. 
Campbell. 

"  Master  Percival  would  soon  learn  to  fish  by  him- 
self," said  Martin,  "  and  then  he'll  bring  as  much  as 
Master  John." 

"  Fish  !"  said  John,  with  disdain. 

"  Yes,  fish,  Master  John,"  replied  Martin  ;  "  a  good 


100  THE   SETTLERS. 

hunter  is  always  a  good  fisherman,  and  don't  de- 
spise them,  for  they  often  give  him  a  meal  when  he 
would  otherwise  go  to  sleep  with  an  empty  stom- 
ach." 

"  Well,  I'll  catch  fish  with  pleasure,"  cried  Per- 
tival ;    "  only  I  must  sometimes  go  out  hunting." 

"  Yes,  my  dear  boy,  and  we  must  sometimes  go  to 
^>ed;  and  I  think  it  is  high  time  now,  as  we  must  all 
be  up  to-morrow  at  daylight." 

The  next  morning,  Mary  and  Emma  set  oft"  to  milk 
the  cows — not,  as  usual,  attended  by  some  of  the 
young  men,  for  Henry  and  Alfred  were  busy,  and 
Captain  Sinclair  was  gone.  As  they  crossed  the 
bridge,  Mary  observed  to  her  sister, 

"  No  more  gentlemen  to  attend  us  lady-milk- 
maids, Emma." 

"No,"  replied  Emma;  "our  avocation  is  losing 
all  its  charms,  and  a  pleasure  now  almost  settles 
down  to  a  duty." 

"Alfred  and  Henry  are  with  Martin  about  the 
fishing-boat,"  observed  Mary. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Emma  ;  "  but  I  fancy,  Mary,  you 
were  thinking  more  of  Captain  Sinclair  than  of  your 
cousins." 

"That  is  very  true,  Emma;  I  was  thinking  of 
him,"  replied  Mary,  gravely.  "  You  don't  know 
how  I  feel  his  absence." 

"I  can  imagine  it  though,  my  dearest  Mary. 
Shall  we  soon  see  him  again  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know  ;  but  I  think  not  for  three  or  four 
weeks,  for  certain.  All  that  can  be  spared  from  the 
fort  are  gone  haymaking,  and  if  he  is  one  of  the  offi- 
cers sent  with  the  men,  of  course  he  will  be  absent, 
and  if  he  is  left  in  the  fort,  he  will  be  obliged  to  re- 
main there  ;  so  there  is  no  chance  of  seeing  him  un- 
til the  haymaking  is  over." 

«■  Where  is  it  that  they  go  to  make  hay,  Mary  ?" 

"You  know  they  have  only  a  sufficiency  of  pas- 
ture round  the  fort  for  the  cattle  during  the  summer, 
so  they  go  along  by  the  borders  of  the  lake  and  isl- 


THE    SETTLERS.  101 

ands,  where  they  know  there  are  patches  of  cleat 
land,  cut  the  grass  down,  make  the  hay,  and  collect 
it  all  in  the  bateaux,  carry  it  to  the  fort  to  be  stacked 
for  the  winter.  This  prairie  was  their  best  help,  but 
now  they  have  lost  it." 

"  But  Colonel  Forster  has  promised  papa  sufficient 
hay  for  the  cows  for  this  winter  ;  indeed,  we  could 
not  have  fed  them  unless  he  had  done  so.  Depend 
upon  it,  Captain  Sinclair  will  bring  the  hay  round, 
and  then  we  shall  see  him  again,  Mary  ;  but  we  must 
walk  after  our  own  cows  now.  No  one  to  drive  ihem 
for  us.  If  Alfred  had  any  manners  he  might  have 
come." 

"And  why  not  Henry,  Emma?"  said  Mary,  with 
a  smile. 

"  Oh  !  I  don't  know;  Alfred  came  into  my  thoughts 
first."  }  B 

"  I  believe  that  really  was  the  case,"  replied  Mary. 
"  Now  I'm  even  with  you  ;  so  go  along  and  milk 
your  cows." 

"  It's  all  very  well,  miss,"  replied  Emma,  laugh- 
ing ;  "but  wait  till  I  have  learnt  to  fire  my  rifle,  and 
then  you'll  be  more  cautious  of  what  you  say." 

On  their  return  home,  they  found  the  old  hunter 
with  a  fine  buck  lying  before  him.  Mr.  Campbell 
was  out  with  the  boys  and  Martin,  who  wished  his 
opinion  as  to  the  size  of  the  punt. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Bone  ?"  said  Mary.  "  Did 
John  shoot  that  deer?" 

"  Yes  ;  and  shot  it  as  well  as  an  old  hunter,  and 
the  creatur  can  hardly  lift  the  gun  to  his  shoulder. 
Which  of  you  is  named  Mary?" 

"I  am,"  said  Mary. 

"  Then  I've  something  for  you,"  said  old  Malachi, 
pulling  from  out  of  his  vest  a  small  parcel,  wrapped 
up  in  thin  bark,  and  handing  it  to  her;  "it's  a 
present  from  the  Strawberry." 

Mary  opened  the  bark,  and  found  inside  of  it  a 
pair  of  moccasins,  very  prettily  worked  in  stained 
porcupines'  quills. 

9* 


102  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  Oh !  how  beautiful,  and  how  kind  of  her  !  Tell 
her  that  I  thank  her,  and  love  her  very  much.  "Will 
you  ?" 

"  Yes,  I'll  tell  her.    Where's  the  boy  ?" 

"  Who,  John  ?  I  think  he's  gone  up  the  stream  to 
take  some  trout ;  he'll  be  back  to  breakfast,  and  that's 
just  ready.  Come,  Emma,  we  must  go  in  with  the 
milk." 

Mr.  Campbell  and  those  who  were  with  him  soon 
returned. 

Malachi  Bone  then  stated  that  he  had  brought  the 
buck  killed  by  John ;  and  that,  if  it  suited,  he  would 
carry  back  with  him  a  keg  of  gunpowder  and  some 
lead ;  that  he  wished  Mr.  Campbell  to  calculate  what 
he  considered  due  to  him  for  the  property,  and  let 
him  take  it  out  in  goods,  as  he  required  them. 

"  Why  don't  you  name  your  own  price,  Malachi  ?" 
said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  How  can  I  name  a  price  ?  It  was  given  to  me, 
and  cost  nothing.  I  leave  it  all  to  you  and  Martin 
Super,  as  I  said  before." 

"  You  show  great  confidence  in  me,  I  must  say. 
Well,  Bone,  I  will  not  cheat  you  ;  but  I'm  afraid  you 
will  be  a  long  while  before  you  are  paid,  if  you  only 
take  it  out  in  goods  from  my  storehouse." 

"  All  the  better,  master ;  they  will  last  till  I  die, 
and  then  what's  left  "will  do  for  the  boy  here,"  re- 
plied the  old  hunter,  putting  his  hand  upon  John's 
head. 

"  Bone,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  "  I  have  no  objection 
to  the  boy  going  with  you  occasionally ;  but  I  can 
not  permit  him  to  be  always  away.  I  want  him  to 
come  home  on  the  day  after  he  has  been  to  see  you." 

"  Well,  that's  not  reasonable,  master.  We  go 
out  after  the  game ;  who  knows  where  we  may  find 
it,  how  lorifj  we  may  look  for  it,  and  how  far  it  may 
lead  oe  '.  Must  we  give  up  the  chase  when  close 
upon  it,  because  time's  up?  That'll  never  do.  I 
want  to  make  the  boy  a  hunter,  and  he  must  learn 
to  sleep  out  and  do  everything  else  as  concerns  a 


THE   SETTLERS.  103 

hunter  to  do.  You  must  let  him  be  with  me  longer 
and,  if  you  please,  when  he  comes  hack  keep  him 
longer  ;  but  if  you  wish  him  to  be  a  man,  the  more 
he  stays  with  me  the  better.  He  shall  know  all  the 
Indian  craft,  I  promise  you,  and  the  winter  after  this 
he  shall  take  beavers  and  bring  you  the  skins." 

"I  think,  sir,"  observed  Martin,  "  it's  ail  in  rea- 
son, what  the  old  man  says." 

"And  so  do  I,"  said  Alfred;  "after  all,  it's  only 
sending  John  to  "school.  Let  him  go,  father,  and 
have  him  home  for  the  holydays." 

"  I'll  always  come  to  you,  when  I  can,"  said  John. 

"  I  am  more  satisfied  at  John's  saying  that  than 

you  might  imagine,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell ;  "  John  is 

an  honest  boy,  and  does  not  say  what  he  does  not 

mean." 

"  Well,  my  dear,  if  you  have  no  objection,  I'm 
sure  I  will  not  raise  any  more." 

"I  think  I  shall  gain  more  by  John's  affection 
than  by  compulsion,  my  dear  husband.  He  says  he 
will  always  come  when  he  can,  and  I  believe  him  ; 
I  have,  therefore,  no  objection  to  let  him  stay  with 
Malachi  Bone,  at  all  events  for  a  week  or  so  at  a 
time." 

"But  his  education,  my  dear." 
"He  is  certain  to  learn  nothing  now  that  this 
fever  for  the  woods,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  is  upon 
him.  He  will,  perhaps,  be  more  teachable  a  year  or 
two  hence.  You  must  be  aware  that  we  have  no 
common  disposition  to  deal  with  in  that  child;  and 
however  my  maternal  feelings  may  oppose  my  judg- 
ment, it  is  still  strong  enough  to  make  me  feel  that 
my  decision  is  for  his  benefit.  We  must  not  here 
put  the  value  upon  a  finished  education  which  we 
used  to  do.  Let  us  give  him  every  advantage  which 
the  peculiarity  of  his  position  will  allow  us  to  do; 
but  we  are  now  in  the  woods,  to  a  certain  degree' 
returned  to  a  slate  of  nature,  and  the  first  and  most 
important  knowledge,  is  to  learn  to  "gain  our  liveli- 
hoods." 


104  THE   SETTLERS. 

'Well,  my  dear,  I  think  you  are  correct  In  your 
views  on  the  subject,  and  therefore,  John,  you  may 
go  to  school  with  Malachi  Bone  ;  come  to  see  us 
when  you  can,  and  I  expect  you  to  turn  out  the 
Nimrod  of  the  west." 

Old  Malachi  stared  at  the  conclusion  of  this  speech  ; 
Alfred  observed  his  surprise,  and  burst  into  a  fit  of 
laughter.  He  then  said,  "  The  English  of  all  that 
is,  Malachi,  that  my  brother  John  has  my  father's 
leave  to  go  with  you,  and  you're  to  make  a  man  of 
him." 

"  He  who  made  him  must  make  a  man  of  him," 
replied  Bone  ;  "  I  can  only  make  him  a  good  hunter, 
and  that  I  will,  if  he  and  I  are  spared.  Now,  mas- 
ter, if  Martin  will  give  me  the  powder  and  lead,  I'll 
be  off  again.     Is  the  boy  to  go?" 

"  Yes,  if  you  desire  it,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell ; 
"come,  John,  and  wish  me  good-by,  and  remember 
your  promise." 

John  bade  farewell  to  the  whole  party  with  all  due 
decorum,  and  then  trotted  off  after  his  schoolmaster. 


THE   SETTLERS.  J  03 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

In  the  course  of  a  week  or  two,  things  found  their 
places,  and  the  family  began  to  feel  more  comforta- 
ble ;  tbere  was  also  a  degree  of  regularity  and  order 
established,  which   could    not    be   effected   during 
the    time  that   the   soldiers  were  employed.     Mrs. 
Campbell  and  Percival  took  upon  them  all  the  work 
inside  and  round  the  house  during  the  morning;  the 
latter  attending  to  the  pigs  and  fowls,  bringing  water 
from  the  stream,  &c.     Mary  and  Emma  milked  the 
cows,  and  then  assisted  their  mother  during  the  day 
in  washing,  &c.     Mr.  Campbell  instructed  Percival, 
worked  in  the  garden,  and  assisted  as  much  as  he 
could,  where  he  might  be  found  most  useful  ;  but  he 
was  too  advanced  in  years  to  be  capable  of  much 
hard  work.     Alfred,  Henry,  and  Martin  Super,  were 
employed  during  the  whole  day,  clearing  the  ground 
and  felling  the  timber ;  but  every  other  day,  one  or 
the  other  went  out  with  Martin  into  the  woods  to 
procure  food,  bringing  with  them  deer,  wild  turkeys, 
or  other  game,  which,  with  an  occasional  piece  of 
salt-pork,  and  the  fish  caught,  were  sufficient  for  the 
family  consumption.     Percival  was  now  permitted 
to  accompany  the  hunting-parties,  and  became  some- 
what expert  with  his  rifle.     He  required  only  a  little 
more  practice  to  be  a  good  shot. 

They  rose  at  half-past  five — were  all  assembled  to 
prayers  at  half-past  seven,  previous  to  going  to  break- 
fast. They  dined  at  one,  and  had  a  combined  tea 
and  supper  at  seven  o'clock.  At  nine  o'clock  they 
went  to  bed.  Before  two  months  had  passed  away, 
everything  went  on  like  clock-work.  One  day 
passed  away  so  like  another,  that  the  time  flew  im« 


106  THE    SETTLERS. 

perceptibly,  and  they  wondered  that  the  Sundays 
came  round  so  quick.  They  had  now  time  to  unpack 
everything,  and  the  books  which  Mrs.  Campbell 
had  selected  and  brought  with  her  had  been  arranged 
on  shelves  in  the  parlor ;  but  they  had  not  as  yet 
much  time  to  read,  and  were  generally  too  tired 
before  the  day  was  over  not  to  long  for  their  beds. 
Indeed,  the  only  interval  of  leisure  during  the  whole 
day  was  between  supper  and  bed-time,  when  they 
would  all  assemble  in  the  kitchen  and  talk  over  the 
little  matters  which  had  occurred,  either  during  the 
chase  or  at  home.  Bat  they  were  now  in  the  middle 
of  October,  the  winter  was  fast  approaching,  and 
they  looked  forward  to  it  with  some  degree  of  anx- 
iety. 

John  had  kept  his  word  very  sacredly.  He  was 
occasionally  absent  for  three  or  four  days,  but  if  so, 
he  invariably  came  to  the  house  and  remained  a  day 
or  two  at  home.  Alfred  and  Martin  had  long  fin- 
ished the  fishing-punt,  and  as  it  was  light  and  easily 
handled,  Henry  and  Percival  went  out  in  it  together, 
and  when  he  was  at  home,  John  with  Percival 
would  pull  half  a  mile  out  into  the  lake,  and  soon 
return  with  a  supply  of  large  fish.  Mrs.  Campbell, 
therefore,  had  salted  down  sufficient  to  fill  a  barrel 
for  the  winter's  use. 

One  day  they  were  agreeably  surprised  by  Captain 
Sinclair  making  his  appearance.  He  had  walked 
from  the  fort,  to  communicate  to  them  that  the  hay 
had  been  gathered  in,  and  would  be  sent  round  in  a 
day  or  two,  and  also  to  inform  Mr.  Campbell  that 
the  commandant  could  spare  them  a  young  bullock, 
if  he  would  wish  to  have  it  for  winter  provision. 
This  offer  was  gladly  accepted,  and  having  partaken 
of  their  dinner,  Captain  Sinclair  was  obliged  to  re- 
turn to  the  fort,  he  being  that  night  on  duty.  Pre- 
vious, however,  to  his  return,  he  had  some  conversa- 
tion with  Martin  Super,  unobserved  by  the  rest  of 
the  party.  Afterward  he  invited  Alfred  to  walk 
back  to  the  fort  with  him  and  return  on  the  following 


THE   SETTLERS.  107 

morning.  Alfred  agreed  to  do  so  ;  and  two  hours 
before  it  was  dark  they  set  off,  and  as  soon  as  they 
were  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  brook  they  were 
joined  by  Martin  Super. 

"  My  reasons  for  asking  you  to  come  back  with  me 
were  twofold,"  said  Captain  Sinclair  to  Alfred.     "  In 
the  first  place,  I  wish  you  to  know  the  road  to  the 
fort,  in  case  it  should  be  necessary  to  make  any 
communications  during  the  winter  ;  secondly,  I  wish- 
ed to  have  some  conversation  with  you  and  Martin 
relative  to  information  we  have  received  about  the 
Indians.     I  can  tell  you  privately  wharf  I  was  unwil- 
ling to  say  before  your  mother  and  cousins,  as  it 
would  put  them  in  a  state  of  restlessness  and  anxi- 
ety, which  could  avail  nothing  and  only  annoy  them. 
I  he  fact  is,  we  have  for  some  time  had  information 
that  the  Indians  have  held  several  councils.     It  does 
not  appear,  however,  that  they  have  as  yet,  decided 
upon    anything,   although   it   is   certain    that   they 
have  gathered  together  in  large  numbers  not  very 
far  irom  the  fort.     No  doubt  but  they  have  French 
emissaries  inciting  them  to  attack  us.     From  what 
we  can  learn,  however,  they  have  not  agreed  amom* 
themselves,  and  therefore,  in  all  probability,  nothing 
will  be  attempted  until  next  year,  for  the  autumn  is 
their  season  for  sending  out  their  war-parties.     At 
the  same  time,  there  is  no  security,  for  there  is  a 
great  difference  between  a  junction  of  all  the  tribes 
against  us  and  a  common  Indian  war-party.     We 
must,  therefore,  be  on  the  alert,  for  we  have  a  treach- 
erous foe  to  deal   with.     And   now,  for   your  por- 
tion ol   interest  in  this  affair.     If  they  attack  the 
fort,  which  they  may  do,  notwithstanding  our  treaties 
with  them,  you  of  course  would  not  be  safe  where 
you  are  ;    but,  unfortunately,  you  may  not  be  safe 
even  if  we  are  not  molested  ;  for  when  the  Indians 
collect  (even  though    the  main   body  decide   upon 
nothing),  there  are  always  bands  of  five  to  ten  In- 
dians, who,  having  left  their  homes,  will  not  return 
if  they  can  help  it,  without  some  booty;  these  are 


108  THE   SETTLERS. 

not  regular  warriors,  or  if  warriors,  not  much  es- 
teemed by  the  tribe  ;  in  i'act,  they  are  the  worst 
classes  of  Indians,  who  are  mere  robbers  and  ban- 
ditti. You  must,  therefore,  be  on  the  lookout  for 
the  visits  of  these  people.  It  is  fortunate  for  you 
that  old  Bone  has  shifted  his  abode  so  many  miles  to 
the  westward,  and  that  you  are  on  such  good  terme 
with  him,  as  it  is  not  very  likely  that  any  party  oi 
Indians  can  approach  you  without  his  meeting  with 
them  or  their  track  during  his  excursions." 

"  That's  true,  captain,"  observed  Martin,  "  and.  I 
will  go  myself  and  put  him  on  his  guard." 

M  But,  will  they  not  attack  him  before  they  attack 
us  ?"  said  Alfred. 

"Why  should  they  ?"  replied  Sinclair.  "  He  is  as 
much  an  Indian  almost  as  they  are,  and  is  well 
known  to  most  of  them.  Besides,  what  would  they 
gain  by  attacking  him  ?  These  straggling  parties, 
which  you  have  to  fear,  are  in  quest  of  booty,  and 
will  not  expect  to  find  anything  in  his  wigwam  ex- 
cept a  few  furs.  No  ;  they  will  not  venture  near 
his  rifle,  which  they  fear,  when  there  is  nothing  to 
be  obtained  by  so  doing.  I  mention  this  to  you, 
Alfred,  that  you  may  be  prepared  to  keep  a  sharp 
look-out.  It  is  very  possible  that  nothing  of  the 
kind  may  occur,  and  that  the  winter  may  pass  away 
without  any  danger,  and  I  mention  it  to  you  and 
Martin,  as  I  consider  that  the  probabilities  are  not 
sufficient  to  warrant  your  alarming  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  especially  the  female  portion  of 
it.  How  far  you  may  consider  it  advisable  to  com- 
municate what  has  now  passed  to  your  father  and 
Henry,  it  is  for  you  to  decide.  As  I  said  before,  I  do 
not  imagine  you  have  much  to  fear  from  a  general 
attack  ;  it  is  too  late  in  the  year,  and  we  know  that 
the  councils  broke  up  without  coming  to  any  decision. 
You  have  only  to  fear  the  attempts  of  small  parties  of 
marauders,  and  I  think  you  are  quite  strong  enough, 
both  in  numbers  and  in  the  defences  of  your  habita- 
tion, to  resist  them  successfully,  if  you  are  not  sud- 


THE   SETTLERS.  109 

denly  surprised.  That  is  all  that  you  have  to  fear; 
and  now  that  you  are  warned,  half  the  danger  is 
over."  & 

"Well,  captain,  I'll  leave  you  now,"  said  Martin, 
"  I  shall  go  over  to  old  Malachi's  to-night  ;  for  it 
occurs  to  me  that  any  attack  is  more  likely  to  be 
made  between  the  fall  of  the  leaf  and  the  fall  of  the 
snow  than  afterward  ;  so  the  sooner  I  put  Malachi 
on  his  guard  the  better.     Good  evening,  sir." 

Captain  Sinclair  and  Alfred  continued  on  their  way 
to  the  fort.  They  had  contracted  a  strong  friend- 
ship, and  were  unreserved  in  their  communication 
with  each  other. 

"  You  have  no  idea,  Alfred,"  said  Captain  Sinclair, 
"  how  the  peculiar  position  of  your  family  occupies 
my  thoughts.  It  really  appears  almost  like  mad- 
ness on  the  part  of  your  father  to  bring  out  your 
mother  and  cousins  to  such  a  place,  and  expose  them 
j  such  privations  and  dangers.  I  can  hardly  sleep 
at  night  Avhen  I  reflect  upon  what  might  happen." 

"  I  believe,"  replied  Alfred,  "  that  if  my  father 
had  known  exactly  what  his  present  position  would 
have  been,  he  would  have  decided  upon  not  leaving 
England  ;  but  you  must  remember  that  he  came  out 
with  much    encouragement,  and  the  idea   that  he 
would  only  have  to  surmount  the  hardships  of  a  set- 
tler in  clearing  his  land.     He  fancied,  at  least  I'm 
sure  we  all  did,  that  we  should  be  surrounded  by 
other  farmers,  and  have  no  particular  danger  to  in- 
cur.    When  at  Quebec,  he  found  that  all  the  good 
land  near  to  civilization  was  bought  up  or  possessed 
by  the  French  Canadians;  he  was  advised  to  come 
further  westward  by  those  who  ought  to  have  been 
aware  of  what  we  would  have  to  encounter  by  so 
doing,  bm  who  probably  considered  that  the  danger 
we  now  apprehend  no  longer  existed  ;  and   he  has 
followed  that  advice  which  I  have  no  doubt  was  con- 
scientiously given.     I  think  myself,  even  now,  that 
the  advice  was  good,  although  we  are  accompanied 
by  females  who  have  been  brought  up  in  so  different 
Vol.  L— 10 


110  THE    SETTLERS. 

a  sphere,  and  for  whose  welfare  such  anxiety  is 
shown  ;  for  observe  now,  Sinclair,  suppose,  without 
having  made  our  acquaintance,  you  had  heard  that 
some  settlers,  men  and  women,  had  located  them- 
selves where  we  have  done  ;  should  you  have  con- 
sidered it  so  very  rash  an  undertaking,  presuming 
that  they  were  merely  farmers  and  farmers' wives?" 

"I  certainly  should  have  troubled  myself  very  lit- 
tle about  them,  and  perhaps  not  thought  upon  the 
subject." 

"  But  supposing  that  the  subject  had  been  brought 
up  at  the  lurt,  and  you  heard  that  the  parties  had  a 
stockaded  house  and  four  or  five  good  rifles  to  depend 
upon,  with  the  fort  to  fall  back  upon  if  necessary  ?" 

"  I  admit  that  I  should  most  probably  have  said 
that  they  were  in  a  position  to  protect  themselves." 

"  Most  assuredly,  and  therefore  we  are  equally  so  ; 
your  feelings  of  interest  in  us  magnify  the  danger, 
and  I  therefore  trust  that  in  future  you  will  not  al- 
low our  position  to  interfere  with  your  night's  rest." 

"  I  wish  I  could  bring  myself  to  that  feeling  of 
security,  Alfred.  If  I  were  only  with  you,  to  assist 
in  protecting  them,  I  should  sleep  sound  enough." 

"  Then  you  would  not  be  of  much  use  as  a  watch," 
replied  Alfred,  laughing.  "  Never  fear,  Sinclair,  we 
shall  do  well  enough,"  continued  he,  "and  if  we  re- 
quire assistance,  we  will  apply  for  you  and  a  party 
of  soldiers." 

"  There  would  be  much  difficulty  about  that,  Al- 
fred," replied  Captain  Sinclair;  "if  there  were  suf- 
ficient danger  to  make  that  demand  upon  the  com- 
mandant, the  same  danger  would  require  that  he 
should  not  weaken  his  force  in  the  fort ;  no,  you 
would  have  to  retreat  to  the  fort,  and  leave  your  farm 
to  the  mercy  of  the  Indians." 

"  It  certainly  would  be  the  wisest  plan  of  the  two," 
replied  Alfred;  "at  all  events,  we  could  send  the 
women.  But  the  Indians  have  not  come  yet,  and 
we  must  hope  that  they  will  not." 


THE    SETTLERS.  Ill 

The  conversation  was  then  changed,  and  in  half 
an  hour  more  they  arrived  at  the  fort. 

Alfred  was  welcomed  at  the  fort  by  Colonel  Fors- 
ter,  with  whom  he  was  a  great  favorite.  The  colo* 
nel  could  not  refrain  from  expressing  his  opinion, 
that  Mr.  Campbell  and  his  family  were  in  a  position 
of  some  danger,  and  lamenting  that  flie  female  por- 
tion of  the  family,  who  had  been  brought  up  with 
such  very  different  prospects,  should  be  so  situated. 
He  even  ventured  to  hint  that  if  Mrs.  Campbell  and 
the  two  Misses  Percival  would  pass  the  winter  in 
the  fort,  he  would  make  arrangements  to  accommo- 
date them.  But  Alfred  at  once  replied,  that  he  was 
convinced  no  inducement  would  persuade  his  mother 
or  cousins  to  leave  his  father:  they  had  shared  his 
prosperity,  and  they  would  cling  to  him  in  his  ad- 
versity ;  that  they  all  were  aware  of  what  they 
would  have  to  risk  before  they  came  out,  and  his 
father  preferred  a  life  of  honorable  independence  at- 
tended with  danger,  to  seeking  the  assistance  of 
others. 

"  But  still  I  can  not  perceive  any  reason  for  the 
ladies  remaining  to  encounter  the  danger." 

"  The  more  we  are,  the  stronger  we  are  to  repel 
danger,"  replied  Alfred. 

"  But  women,  surely,  will  only  be  an  incum- 
brance !" 

"  I  think  differently,"  replied  Alfred.  "  Young 
and  delicate  as  my  cousins  are,  they  will  not  shrink 
any  more  than  my  mother  when  their  services  are 
required.  They  now  can  all  of  them  use  a  rifle,  if 
required,  and  to  defend,  a  house,  a  determined  woman 
is  almost  as  effective  as  a  man.  Depend  upon  it,  if 
it  comes  to  the  necessity,  they  will  do  so.  You  see, 
therefore,  colonel,  that  by  taking  away  our  ladies, 
you  will  weaken  our  force,"  continued  Alfred  laugh- 
ing. 

"Well,  my  dear  fellow,  I  will  press  it  no  more. 
Only  recollect  that  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  send 
you  any  assistance  when  required." 


112  THE    SETTLERS. 

"  I  have  been  thinking,  Colonel  Forster,  that,  aa 
we  have  no  horses  at  present,  if  you  have  any  rock- 
ets they  might  be  useful  in  such  a  case.  At  the  dis- 
tance we  are  from  you  a  rocket  would  be  seen  im- 
mediately if  fired  at  night,  and  I  promise  you,  that 
it  shall  not  be  fired  without  great  necessity. " 

"  I  am  glad  that  you  have  mentioned  it,  Alfred  ;    . 
you  shall  have  a  dozen  to  take  with  you.     You  go 
back  with  the  boats  that  carry  the  hay  to-morrow 
morning,  do  you  not  V 

"  Yes;  I  shall  take  that  opportunity  to  save  wear- 
ing out  my  shoes,  as  we  have  no  cobbler  near  to  us. 
I  presume  it  will  be  the  last  trip  made  by  the  boats 
this  season." 

"Yes,"  replied  the  colonel,  "  the  frost  will  soon 
set  in  now.  In  another  fortnight  we  shall  probably 
be  visited  with  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  and  the  ground 
will  then  be  covered  till  the  spring.  But  I  suppose 
we  shall  see  or  hear  from  you  occasionally  ?" 

"Yes;  as  soon  as  I  can  push  along  in  my  snow- 
shoes,  I  will  pay  you  a  visit,"  replied  Alfred  ;  "  but 
I  have  that  art  to  learn  yet." 

The  following  morning  the  sky  was  clear  and  the 
day  brilliant.  The  sun  shone  upon  the  dark  scarlet- 
tinged  foliage  of  the  oaks  and  through  the  transpa- 
rent yellow  leaves  of  the  maple.  A  slight  frost  had 
appeared  for  two  or  three  mornings  aboul  a  month 
back,  and  now  they  were  enjoying  what  was  termed 
the  Indian  summer,  which  is  a  return  of  fair  and 
rather  warm  weather  for  a  short  time  previous  to 
the  winter  setting  in. 

The  soldiers  were  busy  carrying  the  hay  down  to 
the  bateaux,  and,  before  noon,  Alfred  bade  farewell 
to  Colonel  Forster  and  the  other  officers  of  the  fort, 
and  accompanied  by  Captain  Sinclair,  went  down  to 
embark.  All  was  ready,  and  Alfred  stepped  into  the 
boat;  Captain  Sinclair  being  on  duty  and  not  able 
to  accompany  him  back. 

"  I  shall  not  fail  to  give  directions  to  the  sentries 
about  the  rockets,  Alfred,"  said  Captain  Sinclair, 


THE   SETTLERS.  113 

"and  so  tell  your  mother  and  cousins  ;  and  mind  to 
show  them  how  to  fire  them  off  from  out  of  the  bar- 
rel of  a  musket.  Good-by ;  God  bless  you,  my  dear 
fellow." 

"  Good-by,"  replied  Alfred,  as   the  boats  pulled 
from  the  shore. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

After  Alfred's  return  from  the  fort,  a  few  days 
passed  away  without  any  incident ;  Martin  had  paid 
a  visit  to  Malachi  Bone,  who  had  promised  that  he 
would  be  on  the  lookout  and  would  give  immediate 
information  and  assistance  in  case  of  any  hostile 
measures  on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  He  told  Mar- 
tin, that  in  a  few  days  he  would  discover  what  had 
taken  place  and  what  might  be  looked  forward  to. 
When  Martin  returned  with  this  communication, 
Alfred  was  satisfied,  and  did  not  acquaint  anybody 
except  his  brother  Henry  with  the  information  which 
he  had  received  from  Captain  Sinclair. 

The  monotony  of  their  life  was,  however,  broken 
in  upon  by  the  arrival  of  a  corporal  from  the  fort, 
who  was  the  bearer  of  the  first  despatches  which 
they  had  received  since  their  arrival  at  the  settle- 
ment. Letters,  yes  letters,  not  only  from  Quebec 
but  from  England,  were  announced.  The  whole 
house  was  in  confusion,  all  crowding  round  Mr. 
Campbell  while  he  unsealed  the  large  packet.  First 
a  bundle  of  English  newspapers  from  the  governor 
of  Quebec — these  were  laid  aside;  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Campbell's  agent  at  Quebec— this  was  on  business 
and  could  wait  his  leisure  ;  then  the  letters  from 
England — two  long,  well-filled  double  letters  from 
Miss  Paterson  to  Mary  and  Emma;  another  from 
Mr.  Campbell's  agent  in  England,  and  a  large  one  on 
foolscap  paper  with  "  On  His  Majesty's  Service," 

10* 


114  THE  SETTLERS. 

directed  to  Mr.  Alfred  Campbell.     Each  party  seized 
upon  their  letters,  and  hastened  on  one  side  with 
them.     Mrs.  Campbell  being  the  only  one  who  had 
no  correspondent,  anxiously  watched  the  countenance 
of  Alfred,  who,  after  a  hasty  glance,  cried  out,   "I 
am  confirmed  to  rny  rank,  my  dear  mother ;  I  am 
a  lieutenant  in  his  Majesty's  service — huzza  !  Here's 
a  letter  enclosed  from  Captain  Lumley  ;  I  know  his 
handwriting."     Alfred  received  the  congratulations 
of  the  whole  party,  handed  the  official  letter  to  his 
mother,  and  then  commenced  the  perusal  of  the  one 
from  Captain  Lumley.     After  a  short  silence,  during 
which  they  were  all  occupied  with  their  correspond- 
ence, Mr.  Campbell  said,  "  I  also  have  good  news 
to  communicate  to  you  ;  Mr.  H.  writes  to  me  to  say, 
that  Mr.  Douglas  Campbell,  on  finding  the  green- 
houses and  hot-houses  so  well  stocked,  considered 
that  he  was  bound  to  pay  for  the   plants;  that  they 
have  been  valued  at  seven  hundred  pounds,  and  that 
he  has  paid  that  money  into  my  agent's  hands.  This 
is  extremely  liberal  of  Mr.  Douglas  Campbell,  and  I 
certainly  did  not  expect,  as  I  found  plants  there  on 
my  taking  possession,  that  I  was  entitled  to  any  re- 
muneration for  what  I  left.     However,  I  am  too  poor 
to  refuse  his  offer  from  any  feelings  of  delicacy,  and 
shall  therefore  write  and  thank  him  for  his  generous 
behavior."     Alfred  had  read  the  letter  from  Cap- 
tain Lumley,  which  made  him  very  thoughtful.    The 
fact  was,  that  his  promotion  and  the  observations  in 
Captain   Lumley's  letter  had  brought  back  all  his 
former  regret  at  having  quitted  the  service,  and  he 
was  very  melancholy  in  consequence  ;  but  as  his 
cousins  read   their  letters  aloud,  he  gradually  re- 
covered his  spirits. 

At  last,  all  the  letters  were  read,  and  then  the 
newspapers  were  distributed.  No  more  work  was 
done  that  day,  and  in  the  evening  they  all  sat  round 
the  kitchen  fire  and  talked  over  the  intelligence  they 
had  received  until  long  after  their  usual  time  of  re- 
tiring to  bed. 


THE   SETTLERS.  115 

"  I  have  been  thinking,  my  dear  Emily,"  said  Mr. 
Campbell,  the  next  morning  "before  they  quitted  their 
sleeping-room,  "  what  a  very  seasonable  supply  of 
money  this  will  be.  My  funds,  as  you  have  seen  by 
the  account  of  my  Quebec  agent,  were  nearly  ex- 
hausted, and  Ave  have  many  things  yet  to  procure. 
We  shall  require  horses  next  year,  and  we  must 
increase  our  stock  in  every  way  ;  indeed,  if  we  could 
have  another  man  or  two,  it  would  be  very  advan- 
tageous, as  the  sooner  we  clear  the  ground,  the 
sooner  Ave  shall  be  independent." 

"I  agree  Avith  you,  Campbell;  besides,  we  shall 
now  have  Alfred's  half-pay,  poor  felloAv,  which  will 
help  us  very  much  ;  I  have  been  thinking  more  of 
him  than  anything  else  this  night ;  I  watched  him 
Avhen  he  read  Captain  Lumley's  letter,  and  I  well 
understood  the  cause  of  his  seriousness  for  some 
time  afterAvard  ;  I  almost  feel  inclined  to  let  him 
return  to  his  profession  ;  it  Avould  be  painful  parting 
with  him,  but  the  sacrifice  on  his  partis  very  great." 

"Still  it's  his  duty,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell,  "and, 
moreover,  absolutely  necessary  at  present,  that  he 
should  remain  Avith  us.  When  Ave  are  more  settled 
and  mote  independent  of  his  assistance,  weAvill  talk 
over  the  subject." 

In  the  meantime,  Mary  and  Emma  had  gone  out 
as  usual  to  milk  the  cows.  It  was  a  beautiful  clear 
day,  but  there  Avas  a  bracing  air  which  cheered  the 
spirits,  and  the  sunshine  Avas  pleasantly  warm  in 
situations  sheltered  from  the  Avinds ;  one  of  the  few 
fine  days  just  before  the  rushing  in  of  winter.  They 
had  milked  their  cows,  and  had  just  turned  them  out 
again,  when  they  both  sat  doAvn  with  their  pails 
before  them  on  a  log,  which  Avas  in  front  of  Mala- 
chi's  lodge,  noAv  used  as  a  cow-house. 

"  Do  you  know,  Mary, "said  Emma,  after  a  pause, 
"  I'm  almost  sorrv  that  I  have  received  a  letter  from 
Miss  Paterson." 

"  Indeed,  dear  Emma  !" 

"  Yes,  indeed,  it  has  unsettled  me.     I  did  nothing 


,16  THE   SETTLERS. 

but  dream  all  last  night.  Everything  was  recalled 
to  my  mind — all  that  I  most  wished  to  forget.  I 
fancied  myself  again  engaged  in  all  the  pursuits  of 
our  much-loved  home ;  I  was  playing  the  harp,  you 
were  accompanying  on  the  piano  as  usual;  we 
walked  oul  in  the  shrubberies  ;  we  took  an  airing  in 
the  carriage  ;  all  the  servants  were  before  me  ;  we 
went  to  the  village  and  to  the  almshouses  ;  we  were 
in  the  garden  picking  dahlias  and  roses  ;  I  was  just 
going  up  to  dress  for  a  large  dinner-party,  and  had 
rung  ihe  bell  for  Simpson,  when  I  woke  up,  and 
found  myself  in  a  log-hut,  with  my  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  rafters  and  bark  covering  of  the  roof,  thousands 
of  miles  from  Wexton  Hall,  and  half  an  hour  longer 
in  bed  than  a  dairy-maid  should  be." 

"  I  will  confess,  my  dear  Emma,  that  I  passed 
much  such  a  night ;  old  associations  will  rise  up 
again  when  so  forcibly  brought  to  our  remembrance 
as  they  have  been  by  Miss  Paterson's  letters,  but  I 
strove  all  I  could  to  banish  them  from  my  mind,  and 
not  indulge  in  useless  repining." 

"  Repine,  I  do  not,  Mary,  at  least,  I  hope  not,  but 
one  can  not  well  help  regretting;  I  can  not  help  re- 
membering, as  Macduff  says,  that  '  such  things 
were.'" 

"He  might  well  say  so,  Emma  ;  for  what  had  he 
lost?  his  wife  and  all  his  children,  ruthlessly  mur- 
dered ;  hut  what  have  we  lost  in  comparison  ?  noth- 
ing--a  few  luxuries.  Have  we  not  our  health  and 
spirits?  Have  we  not  our  kind  uncle  and  aunt,  who 
have  fostered  us — our  cousins  so  attached  to  us? 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  kindness  of  our  uncle  and 
aunt,  who  have  brought  us  up  as  their  own  children, 
should  we,  poor  orphans,  have  ever  been  partakers 
of  those  luxuries  which  you  now  regret?  Ought 
we  not  rather  to  thank  Heaven  that  circumstances 
have  enabled  us  to  show  some  gratitude  for  benefits 
heaped  upon  us  ?  How  much  greater  are  these  pri- 
vations \o  my  uncle  and  aunt  now  that  they  are  so 
much  more  advanced  in  years,  and  have  been  so 


THE   SETTLERS.  117 

much  longer  accustomed  to  competence  and  ease ; 
and  shall  we  repine  or  even  regret,  unless  it  is  on 
their  account?  surely,  my  dear  Emma,  not  on  our 
own." 

"I  feel  the  truth  of  all  you  say,  Mary,"  replied 
Emma  ;  "  nay  all  that  you  have  now  said  passed  in 
my  own  mind,  and  I  have  argued  to  myself  in  almost 
the  same  words,  but  I  fear  that  I  am  not  quite  so 
mu.:h  of  a  philosopher  as  you  are  ;  and,  acknowledg- 
ing that  what  you  say  is  correct,  I  still  have  the 
same  feeling — that  is,  I  wish  that  I  had  not  received 
the  tetter  from  Miss  Paterson." 

"In  that  wish  there  can  be  no  harm,  for  it  is  only 
wishing  that  you  may  not  be  tempted  to  repine." 

"  Exactly,  my  dear  Mary  ;  I  am  a  daughter  of 
Eve,"  replied  Emma,  laughing,  and  rising  from  her 
seat ;  "I  will  put  away  Miss  Paterson's  letter,  and  1 
dare  say  in  a  day  or  two  shall  have  forgotten  all 
about  it.  Dear  Alfred,  how  glad  I  am  that  he  is 
promoted  !  I  shall  call  him  Lieutenant  Campbell 
till  he  is  sick  of  it.  Come,  Mary,  or  we  shall  be 
keeping  my  uncle  waiting  ;  come,  Juno." 

Emma's  calling  Juno  to  follow  her,  reminds  me 
that  I  have  not  yet  introduced  the  dogs  to  my  little 
readers,  and  as  they  will  have  to  play  their  parts  in 
our  history,  I  may  as  well  do  so  at  once.  Captain 
Sinclair,  it  may  be  remembered,  had  procured  five 
dogs  for  Mr.  Campbell  from  the  officers  of  the  fort — 
two  terriers,  which  were  named  Trim  and  Snob  ; 
Trim  was  a  small  dog  and  kept  in  the  house,  but 
Snob  was  a  very  powerful  bull-terrier,  and  very  sav- 
age ;  a  fox-hound  bitch,  the  one  which  Emma  had 
just  called  Juno  ;  Bully,  a  very  fine  young  bull-dog, 
and  Sancho,  an  old  pointer.  At  nighi,  these  dogs 
were  tied  up  :  Juno  in  the  storehouse  ;  Bully  and 
Snob  at  the  door  of  the  house,  within  the  palisade  ; 
Trim  in  doors,  and  old  Sancho  at  the  lodge  of  Mala- 
chi  Bon^,  where  the  cows  were  put  in  at  night.  Mr. 
Campbell  found  it  rather  expensive  at  first  feeding 
these  dugs,  but  as  soon  as  Martin  and  his  compan- 


118  THE   SETTLERS. 

ions  brought  home  game,  there  was  always  plenty 
for  them  all.  They  were  all  very  shfcrp  and  high- 
couraged  dogs,  for  they  had  been  born  in  the  fort, 
and  had  been  brought  up  to  hunting  every  kind  of 
game  indiscriminately  ;  and  I  need  hardly  add  that 
they  were  excellent  watch-dogs,  and  considered  by 
Mr.  Campbell  as  a  great  protection. 

For  the  next  two  days,  the  family  remained  ra- 
ther unsettled  ;  there  was  so  much  news  in  the 
newspapers,  so  many  recollections  brought  up  by 
their  perusal  ;  so  much  to  talk  about  and  discuss, 
that  very  little  work  was  done.  The  weather,  how- 
ever, was  now  becoming  much  colder,  and  for  the 
last  two  days  the  sun  had  not  shone.  The  sky  was 
of  one  uniform  murky  solemn  gray ;  and  everything 
announced  that  the  winter  was  close  at  hand.  Mar- 
tin, who  had  been  hunting,  when  he  came  home 
bade  them  prepare  for  an  immediate  change  in  the 
weather,  and  his  prediction  was  speedily  verified. 


THE  SETTLERS.  H9 


CHAPTER  XV. 

It  was  on  the  Saturday  evening,  when  they  had 
all  assembled  round  the  fire,  for  it  was  more  cold 
than  it  had  hitherto  been,  that  the  moaning  of  the 
wind  among  the  trees  of  the  forest  announced  a  gale 
of  wind  from  the  northward. 

"We  shall  have  it  soon,"  observed  Martin,  "win- 
ter mostly  comes  in  with  a  gale." 

'  Yes;  and  this  appears  as  if  it  would  be  a  strong 
gale,"  replied  Alfred.  "  Hark  !  how  the  boughs  of 
the  trees  are  sawing  and  cracking  against  each 
other." 

"  I  reckon  we  may  get  our  snow-shoes  out  of  the 
storehouse,  John,"  said  Martin,  "  and  then  we  shall 
see  how  you  can  get  over  the  ground  with  them 
when  you  go  out  hunting.  You  have  not  shot  a 
moose  yet." 

"Is  the  moose  the  same  as  the  elk,  Martin," said 
Henry. 

"  I  do  not  think  it  is,  sir  ;  yet  I've  heard  both 
names  giver,  to  the  animal." 

"Have  you  ever  shot  any  ?"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"Yes,  ma'am,  many  a  one.  They're  queer  ani- 
mals ;  they  don't  run  like  the  other  deer,  but  they 
trot  as  fast  as  the  others  run,  so  it  comes  to  the  same 
thing.  They  are  very  shy,  and  difficult  to  get  near, 
except  in  the  heavy  snow,  and  then  their  weight 
will  not  allow  them  to  get  over  it,  as  the  lighter 
deer  can  ;  they  sink  up  to  their  shoulders,  and  floun- 
der about  till  they  are  overtaken.  You  see,  Master 
Percival,  the  moose  can't  put  on  snow-shoes  like  we 
can,  and  that  gives  us  the  advantage  ov*>r  the  ani- 
mal." 


6 


120  THE   SETTLERS. 

"Are  they  dangerous  animals,  Martin  ?"  inquired 
Mary  Percival. 

"Every  large  animal  is  more  or  less  dangerous 
when  it  turns  to  bay,  miss.  A  moose's  horns  some- 
times weigh  fifty  pounds,  and  it  is  a  strong  animal  to 
boot  ;  but  it  can't  do  anything  when  the  snow  is  deep. 
You'll  find  it  good  eating,  at  all  events,  when  we 
bring  one  in." 

"  I'll  bring  one,"  said  John,  who  was  cleaning  his 
rifle. 

"  I  dare  say  you  will,  as  soon  as  you  can  manage 
your  snow-shoes,"  replied  Martin.  "  The  wind  is 
getting  up  higher.  I  guess  you'll  not  find  your  way 
back  to  Malachi's  lodge,  Master  John,  as  you  thought 
to  do  to-morrow  morning." 

"  It  is  certainly  a  dreadful  night,"  observed  Mrs. 
Campbell,  "and  I  feel  the  cold  very  sensibly." 

"  Yes,  ma'am  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  snow  is  down, 
you'll  be  warmer." 

"  It  is  time  to  go  to  bed,"  observed  Mr.  Campbell, 
"so  put  away  your  work;  and,  Henry,  give  me 
down  the  Bible." 

During  that  night  the  gale  increased  to  almost  a 
hurricane ;  the  trees  of  the  forest  clashed  and 
crackled,  groaned  and  sawed  their  long  arms  against 
each  other,  creating  an  unusual  and  almost  appal- 
ling noise;  the  wind  howled  round  the  palisades  and 
fluttered  the  strips  of  bark  on  the  roof;  and  as  they 
all  lay  in  bed,  they  could  not  sleep  from  the  noise 
outside,  and  the  increased  feeling  of  cold.  It  was 
also  the  first  trial  of  this  new  house  in  severe  weath- 
er, and  some  of  the  wakeful  party  \vere  anxiously 
watching  the  result.  Toward  the  morning  the  storm 
abated,  and  everything  was  again  quiet.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  restless  night  which  they  had  passed, 
they  were  not  so  early  as  usual.  Emma  and  Mary, 
when  they  came  out  of  their  room,  found  Martin  and 
Alfred  up  and  very  busy  with  shovels  ;  and,  to  their 
astonishment,  they  perceived  that  the  snow  was  at 
east  three  feet  deep  on  the  ground,  ami  in  some 


THE   SETTLERS.  121 

places  had  been  drifted  up  higher  than  their  heads. 
♦'Why.  Alfred!"  cried  Emma,  "how  shall  we  be 
able  to  go  after  the  cows  this  morning  ?  This  is,  in- 
deed, winter  come  on  with  little  warning." 

"  It  still  snows,"  observed  Mary  ;  "not  much,  in- 
deed, but  the  sky  is  very  black." 

"  Yes,  miss  :  we  shall  have  some  more  of  it  yet," 
observed  Martin.  "  Mr.  Campbell  and  Mr.  Henry 
have  gone  to  the  storehouse  for  more  shovels,  for 
we  must  work  hard,  and  clear  a  footpath,  and  then 
get  the  snow  up  against  the  palisades." 

"What  a  sudden  change  !"  said  Emma  ;  "I  wish 
the  sky  would  cease,  and  then  I  should  not  care." 

"  It  will  to-morrow,  Miss  Emma,  I  dare  say  ;  but 
the  snow  must  come  down  first." 

Martin  and  Alfred  had  only  time  to  clear  a  path 
to  the  storehouse  ;  Mr.  Campbell  and  Henry  re- 
turned with  more  shovels,  and  as  soon  as  breakfast 
was  over,  they  commenced  work.  As  for  Mary  and 
Emma  going  to  milk  the  cows,  that  was  impossible. 
Martin  undertook  that  task  until  they  had  cleared  a 
pathway  to  the  hunter's  lodge,  in  which  the  animals 
were  shut  up  every  night. 

By  the  advice  of  Martin,  the  snow  next  the  pali- 
sades was  piled  up  against  the  palings  like  a  wall, 
as  high  as  they  could  reach  or  throw  it,  by  which 
means  they  got  rid  of  the  snow  about  the  house,  and 
at  the  same  time  formed  a  barrier  against  the  freez- 
ing winds  which  they  had  to  expect.  All  wc:ked 
hard  ;  Percival  and  John  were  of  great  use,  and  even 
Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  girls  assisted  collecting  the 
remainder  of  the  snow,  and  clearing  it  off  the  win- 
dow-sills and  other  parts.  By  noon  the  snow  left  off 
falling,  the  sky  cleared  up,  and  the  sun  shone  bright, 
although  it  gave  out  but  little  warmth. 

After  dinner  they  renewed  their  labors,  and  com- 
menced clearing  away  a  path  to  the  lodge,  where 
the  cows  were  locked  in,  and  before  nightfall  they 
had  accomplished  their  task  as  far  as  the  bridge 
over  the  stream,  which  was  about  half  way.    It  had 

Vol.  I.— 11 


12£  THE   SETTLERS. 

been  -i  day  of  great  fatigue,  and  they  were  glad  to 
reihe  to  rest.  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  girls  had  put 
an  adJitional  supply  of  blankets  and  skins  upon  the 
beds,  for  the  cold  was  now  intense,  and  the  ther- 
mometer stood  far  below  the  freezing  point. 

The  following  morning  they  resumed  their  task; 
the  sky  was  still  unclouded,  and  the  sun  shone  out 
clear  and  bright.  By  dinner-time,  the  path  to  the 
cow-house  had  been  completed  ;  and  the  men  then 
employed  themselves  in  carrying  as  much  firewood 
as  they  could,  before  it  was  dark,  within  the  pali- 
sades. 

"  Well,"  observed  Alfred,  "  now  things  may  go 
on  as  usual  within  doors  ;  and  what  have  we  to  do 
out,  Martin  ?" 

"  You  must  first  get  on  your  show-shoes,  and 
.earn  to  walk  in  them,"  observed  Martin  ;  "  or  oth- 
erwise you'll  be  a  prisoner  as  well  as  the  ladies. 
You  see,  John,  you  are  not  at  Malachi's  lodge." 

"  G-o  to-morrow,"  replied  John. 

"  No,  not  to-morrow,  for  I  must  go  with  you,"  said 
Martin  ;  "  I  can  not  trust  you  for  finding  your  way  ; 
and  I  can  not  go  to-morrow,  nor  the  next  day  nei- 
ther. We  must  kill  our  beef  to-morrow  ;  there's  no 
fear  but  it  will  keep  all  the  winter  now,  and  we 
shall  save  our  hay." 

"  My  larder  is  but  poorly  furnished,"  observed 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  Never  mind,  ma'am,  we'll  soon  have  something 
in  it,  which  will  save  our  beef.  In  another  week 
you  shall  have  it  well  stocked." 

"John,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  "  recollect  you  must 
not  go  away  without  Martin." 

"  1  won't,"  replied  John. 

All  the  game  in  the  larder  having  been  consumed, 
they  sat  down  to  salt-pork  and  some  of  the  fish  which 
had  been  cured.  The  latter  was  pronounced  to  be 
excellent. 

"  What  is  the  name  of  this  fish,  Martin  ?" 

"It   is  called    the   white-fish,"  replied  MartiD; 


THE   SETTLERS.  12? 

"  and  I  have  heard  gentry  from  the  old  country  say 
that  they  have  none  better,  if  any  so  good." 

"  It.  is  certainly  most  excellent,"  replied  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, "  and  we  will  not  forget  to  have  a  good  pro- 
vision for  next  winter,  if  it  pleases  God  to  spare  our 
lives." 

"  Where  were  you  born,  Martin?"  said  Henry,  aa 
they  were  sitting  round  the  kitchen  fire,  as  usual,  in 
the  evening. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Henry,  I  was  horn  at  Quebec  :  my 
father  was  a  corporal  in  the  army  under  General 
Wolfe,  and  was  wounded  in  the  great  battle  fought 
between  him  and  the  Frenchman  Montcalm." 

"  In  which  both  generals  were  killed,  but  the  vic- 
tory was  to  us." 

"  So  I've  heard,  sir,"  replied  Martin  -"  my  mother 
was  an  Englishwoman,  and  I  was  boffi  about  four 
years  after  the  surrender  of  Quebec  ;  my  mother 
died  soon  afterward,  but  my  father  was  alive  about 
five  years  ago,  I  believe.  I  can't  exactly  say,  as  I 
was  for  three  or  four  years  in  the  employ  of  the  fur 
company,  and  when  I  returned,  I  found  that  he  was? 
dead." 

"  And  you  have  been  a  hunter  all  your  life  ?" 

"  Not  all  my  life,  and  not  exactly  a  hunter.  I  cal« 
myself  a  trapper,  but  I  still  am  both.  I  first  wat 
out  with  the  Indians  when  I  was  about  fourteen,  for 
you  see  my  father  wanted  to  make  me  a  drummer, 
and  I  could  not  stand  that ;  so  I  said  to  him,  '  Fa 
thei,  I  Avon't  be  a  drummer.' — 'Well,' says  he,  '  Mar 
tin,  you  must  help  yourself,  for  all  my'interest  lie' 
in  the  army.'—'  So  I  will,'  savs  I ;  '  father,  I'm  ofl 
for  the  woods.'— 'Well,'  says 'he,  'just  as  you  like 
Martin.'  So  one  fine  day  I  wished  him  good-bv,  ana 
did  not  see  him  again  for  more  than  two  years." 

"  Well,  and  what  took  place  then  ?" 

"  Why,  I  brought  home  three  or  four  packages  of 
good  skins,  and  sold  them  well.  Father  was  so 
pleased,  that  he  talked  of  turning  trapper  himself: 
but,  as  I  told  the  old  man,  a  man  with  a  lame  leg 


124  THE   SETTLERS. 

— for  he  had  been  wounded  in  the  leg,  and  halted— 
would  not  make  his  livelihood  by  hunting  in  the 
woods  of  Canada." 

"  Was  your  father  still  in  the  army  ?" 

"  No,  ma'am,  he  was  not  in  the  army  ;  but  he  was 
employed  in  the  storekeeper's  department  :  they 
gave  him  the  birth  on  account  of  his  wound." 

"  Well— go  on,  Martin." 

"I  hav'n't  much  more  to  say,  ma'am.  I  brought 
home  my  furs,  sold  them,  and  father  helped  me  tr 
spend  the  money  as  long  as  he  was  alive,  and  very 
welcome  he  was  to  his  share.  I  felt  rather  queer 
when  I  came  back  from  the  fur  company  and  found 
that  the  old  man  was  dead,  for  I  had  looked  forward 
with  pleasure  to  the  old  man's  welcome,  and  his 
enjoying  his  frolic  with  me  as  usual." 

"  I'm  afraid  those  frolics  were  not  very  wise, 
Martin." 

"  No,  sir,  they  were  very  foolish,  I  believe  ;  but  1 
fear  it  will  always  be  the  case  with  us  trappers.  We 
are  like  sailors:  we  do  not  know  what  to  do  with 
money  when  we  get  it ;  so  we  throw  it  away,  and 
the  sooner  the  better,  for  it  is  our  enemy  while  we 
have  it.  I  assure  you,  sir,  that  I  used  to  feel  quite 
happy  when  all  my  money  was  gone,  and  I  was  set- 
ting off  to  the  woods  again.  It's  a  hard  life,  but  a 
life  that  unfits  you  for  any  other  ;  a  life  which  you 
become  very  fond  .of.  I  don't  mind  being  here  with 
you,  by  way  of  a  change ;  indeed,  as  long  as  there 
is  hunting,  it  is  almost  as  good  as  if  I  were  in  the 
woods,  but  else  I  think  I  shall  die  a  trapper." 

"But,  Martin,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  "how  much 
more  wise  it  would  be  to  put  your  money  by,  and 
after  a  time  purchase  a  farm  and  settle  down  a  steady 
man  with  property,  perhaps  married,  and  the  father 
of  a  family." 

'•  Perhaps  it  might  be  ;  but  if  I  do  not  like  it  so 
well  as  trapping,  I  don't  see  why  I  should  do  so:  it 
would  be  changing  my  life  to  please  others  and  not 
myself." 


THE   SETTLERS.  125 

"That's  very  true,  Martin,'" said  Alfred,  laughing. 

"Perhaps  Martin  may  change  his  mind  before  he 
is  an  old  man,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell.  "  Dear  me  ! 
what  noise  was  that  ?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Campbell, 
as  a  melancholy  howl  was  heard  without. 

"  Only  a  rascally  wolf,  ma'am,"  said  Martin  ;  "  we 
must  expect  the  animals  to  be  about  us  now  that  the 
snow  has  fallen,  and  the  winter  has  set  in." 

"A  wolf!  are  they  not  dangerous,  Martin?"  in- 
quired Mary  Percival. 

"  That  depends,  miss,  how  hungry  they  may  be; 
but  they  are  not  very  fond  of  attacking  a  human  be- 
ing  :  if  we  had  any  sheep  outside,  I  fancy  that  they 
would  stand  a  bad  chance." 

The  howl  was  repeated,  when  one  or  two  of  the 
dogs  which  had  been  admitted  into  the  house,  and 
were  stretched  before  the  fire,  roused  up  and 
growled. 

"  They  hear  him,  ma'am,  and  if  we  were  to  let 
them  out,  would  soon  be  at  him.  No,  no,  John,  sit 
still  and  put  down  your  rifle  ;  we  can't  afford  to 
hurt  wolves  :  their  skins  won't  fetch  a  half  dollar, 
and  their  flesh  is  not  fit  for  a  dog— let  alone  a  Chris- 
tian. Let  the  vermin  howl  till  he  is  tired  ;  he'll  be 
off  to  the  woods  again  before  daylight." 

"  There  is  certainly  something  very  melancholy 
and  dreadful  to  me  in  that  howl,"  said  Emma  ;  "  it 
frightens  me." 

"What,  Emma,  afraid?"  said  Alfred,  going  to 
her  ;  "  why  yes,  really  she  trembles  ;  why,  my  dear 
Emma,  do  you  recollect  how  frightened  you  and 
Mary  were  at  the  noise  of  the  frogs  when  you  first 
came  here? — you  got  used  to  it  very  soon,  and  so 
you  will  to  the  howling  of  a  wolf." 

"There  is  some  difference,  Alfred,"  replied  Em- 
ma, shuddering  as  the  howl  was  repeated.  "  I  don't 
know  how  it  is,"  said  she,  rallying  her  spirits,  "but 
I  believe  it  was  reading  Little  Red  Riding  Hood 
when  I  was  a  child,  which  has  given  me  such  a  hor- 

11* 


126  THE   SETTLERS. 

ror  of  a  wolf;  I  shall  get  over  it  very  soon,  I  have 
no  doubt." 

"I  must  say,  that  it  does  not  create  the  most 
agreeable  sensation  in  my  mind,"  observed  Mrs. 
Campbell,  "  but  I  was  aware  of  what  Ave  were  to 
encounter,  when  we  came  here  ;  and  if  it  is  only  to 
be  annoyed  with  the  cry  of  a  wild  beast,  we  may 
consider  that  we  get  off  very  cheaply." 

"  I  should  feel  much  more  at  ease,  if  all  the  rifles 
were  loaded,"  said  Mary  Percival,  in  her  usual  quiet 
way. 

"And  I  too,"  said  Emma. 

"  Well,  then,  if  that  will  at  all  relieve  your  minds, 
it  is  easily  done,"  said  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  let  us  all 
load  our  rifles,  and  put  them  back  in  their  rests." 

"  Mine's  loaded,"  said  John. 

"And  the  rest  soon  shall  be,"  said  Alfred,  "  even 
the  three  appropriated  for  your  use,  mother,  and 
cousins.  Now  don't  you  feel  some  satisfaction  in 
knowing  that  you  can  load  and  fire  them  yourselves  ? 
The  practice  you  had  during  the  fine  weather  has 
not  been  thrown  away,  has  it,  dear  Emma  ?" 

"  No,  it  has  not,  and  I  am  very  glad  that  I  did 
learn  il  :  I  am  a  coward  in  apprehension,  Alfred,  but 
perhaps  if  I  was  put  to  the  test,  I  should  behave 
better." 

"  That  I  really  believe,"  replied  Alfred  ;  "  a  gale 
of  wind  at  sea  sounds  very  awful  when  down  below, 
jerking  about  in  your  hammock  ;  but  when  on  deck, 
you  don't  care  a  fig  about  it.  Now  the  rifles  are  all 
loaded,  and  we  may  go  to  bed  and  sleep  sound." 
They  did  retire  to  rest,  but  all  parties  did  not  sleep 
very  sound  ;  the  howling  of  one  wolf  was  answered 
by  another  ;  Emma  and  Mary  embraced  each  other, 
and  shuddered  as  they  heard  the  sounds,  and  it  was 
long  before  they  forgot  their  alarm  and  were  asleep. 


THE   SETTLERS.  127 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  next  morning  was  bright  and  clear,  and  when 
Emma  and  Mary  went  out,  attended  by  Alfred,  to  go 
and  milk  the  cows,  although  the  cold  was  intense, 
everything  looked  so  brilliant  and  sparkling  in  the 
sunshine  that  they  regained  their  spirits.  The  lake 
was  still  unfrozen,  and  its  waters,  which  were  of  an 
azure  blue,  contrasted  with  the  whole  of  the  coun- 
try covered  with  snow,  and  the  spruce  firs  with  their 
branches  loaded,  presented  an  alternate  layer  of 
pure  white  and  of  the  darkest  green.  Birds  there 
were  none  to  be  seen  or  heard.  All  was  quiet,  so 
quiet  that  as  they  stepped  along  the  path  which  had 
been  cleared  away  to  the  cow-house,  they  almost 
startled  at  the  sound  of  their  own  voices,  which  the 
atmosphere  rendered  mor,e  peculiarly  sonorous  and 
ringing.  Alfred  had  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  and 
walked  in  front  of  his  cousins. 

"  I  have  come  to  prove  that  all  your  fears  are 
groundless,  my  dear  Emma,  and  that  you  need  not 
have  any  alarm  about  a  skulking  cowardly  wolf," 
said  Alfred. 

"Well,  that  maybe,"  replied  Emma,  "but  still 
we  are  very  glad  of  your  company." 

They  arrived  at  the  cow-house  without  any  ad- 
venture, let  loose  Sancho  who  had  been  tied  up,  as 
it  was  decided  that  the  dog  should  remain  at  home 
with  the  others,  and  proceeded  to  milk  the  cows. 
Having  finished  that  task,  and  supplied  them  with 
fodder,  Mary  Percival  observed,  as  they  were  re- 
tracing their  steps, 

"  I  must  say  that  it  would  not  only  be  more  con- 


128  THE   SETTLERS. 

venient  but  more  agreeable  if  tbe  cows  were  kep\ 
nearer  to  the  house." 

"  It  would  be,  certainly,"  replied  Alfred.  "  It  is  a 
pity  that  there  is  not  a  cow-shed  within  the  pali- 
sades ;  but  we  have  no  means  of  making  one  at 
present.  Next  year,  when  my  father  has  purchased 
his  horses  and  his  sheep,  which  he  talks  of  doing, 
we  are  to  build  a  regular  yard  and  sheds  for  all  the 
animals  close  to  the  house,  and  palisaded  round  as 
the  house  now  is,  with  a  passage  from  one  palisade 
to  the  other.  Then  it  will  be  very  convenient;  but 
'Rome  was  not  built  in  one  day,'  as  the  proverb 
says  ;  and  we  must,  therefore,  wait  another  winter." 

"  And  be  devoured  by  the  wolves  in  the  mean- 
time," replied  Emma,  laughing. 

"  Why,  you  are  getting  over  your  fright  already, 
Emma." 

"  Yes ;  I  feel  pretty  bold,  now  I  think  there  is 
nothing  to  be  afraid  of." 

The  remainder  of  the  week  was  passed  away  in 
practising  upon  the  snow-shoes  by  the  males  of  the 
pariy,  the  women  scarcely  ever  venturing  out  of 
doors,  as  the  cold  was  very  severe.  Mary  and  Em- 
ma were  accompanied  by  Alfred  for  the  first  three  or 
four  days ;  and  after  that,  notwithstanding  that  the 
howling  of  the  wolves  was  heard  every  night,  they 
took  courage  when  they  found  that  the  animals  nev- 
er made  their  appearance  by  daylight,  and  went  as 
before  to  milk  the  cows  by  themselves.  On  the  Sat- 
urday, they  were  in  the  hopes  of  seeing  old  Malachi 
Bone,  but  he  did  not  make  his  appearance,  and 
John,  who  could  now  get  on  very  well  in  his  snow- 
shoes  became  very  impatient.  Alfred  and  Martin 
were  also  very  anxious  to  see  the  old  man,  that  they 
might  ascertain  if  he  had  made  any  discoveries  rela- 
te) the  Indians.  Sunday,  as  usual,  was  a  day  of 
rest  from  labor ;  the  services  were  read  by  Mr. 
Campbell,  and  the  evening  passed  in  serious  conver- 
sation. Mr.  Campbell,  although  usually  in  g<%d 
spirits,  was  certainly  not  so  on  that  evening  ;  wheth- 


THE   SETTLERS.  129 

er  it  -was  that  the  severity  of  the  winter  which  had 
6et  in,  and  the  known  long  duration  of  it  which  they 
had  to  encounter,  had  an  effect  upon  his  spirits,  he 
was  melancholy  as  well  as  serious.  He  more  than 
once  referred  to  their  former  residence  when  in 
England,  which  was  a  very  unusual  thing  for  him  to 
do,  and  by  degrees  the  conversation  was  turned  in 
that  direction,  and,  although  no  one  said  so,  they  all 
felt  what  a  change  there  was  in  their  present  posi- 
tion from  that  which  they  had  been  forced  to  leave. 
Mrs.  Campbell,  who  perceived  that  a  gloom  was 
gathering  over  the  whole  party,  made  several  re- 
marks tending  to  reconcile  them  to  their  present  lot, 
and,  after  a  time  Mr.  Campbell  observed — 

"Perhaps,  my  dear  children,  it  maybe  a  divine 
mercy  which  has  sent  you  here  to  this  wilderness  ; 
true  it  is  that  we  are  removed  from  civilization,  and 
shut  up  here  by  a  severe  winter,  deprived  of  the  en- 
joyments and  pleasures  which  were  to  be  found  in 
the  society  which  we  were  compelled  to  leave  ;  but 
let  us  also  bear  in  mind  that  we  are  removed  from 
the  many  temptations  which  might  there  have  as- 
sailed us."' 

"But  still,  papa,  you  would  be  very  glad  if  cir- 
cumstances would  permit  us  to  return  to  England ; 
would  you  notl"  said  Percival. 

"Yes,  my  child,  I  should,  and  even  if  I  had  re- 
mained here  so  long  as  to  have  become  attached  to 
the  place  and  to  the  isolation  which  at  first  is  felt  so 
irksome,  I  would  still  return  to  England  and  to  so- 
ciety, if  I  had  the  means.  As  Christians,  we  are 
not  to  fly  from  the  world  and  its  temptations,  but  to 
buckle  on  our  armor,  and  putting  our  trust  in  Him 
who  will  protect  us,  fight  the  good  fight  ;  that  is, 
doing  our  duty  in  that  state  of  life  to  which  it  shall 
please  God  to  call  us." 

"  But  if  ever  we  were  to  return  to  England,  there 
would  be  no  chance  of  our  living  as  we  did  before 
we  left  it,  would  thtre,  papa?" 

"  I  see  none,  my  dear  boy ;  but  we  never  know 


130  THE   SETTLERS. 

what  is  in  store  for  us.  Should  any  of  us  ever  re- 
turn, I  presume  it  would  be  to  live  in  a  more  hum- 
ble way  ;  and  for  my  part,  I  should  prefer  that  it 
were  so,  for  although  I  trust  I  did  not  greatly  misuse 
that  wealth  which  I  so  long  supposed  to  be  mine,  1 
should  not  be  sorry  to  have  much  less,  and  therefore 
less  responsibility." 

"Indeed,  my  dear  Campbell,  imperfect  as  we  all 
are,  I  do  not  believe  that  many  could  have  made  a 
better  use  of  it  than  you  did." 

"  I  thought  so  at  the  time,  my  dear,"  replied  Mr. 
Campbell,  "  but  since  it  has  been  lost  to  me,  I  have 
often  thought  ihat  I  might  have  done  more  good 
with  it.  Bat  the  fact  is,  my  dear  children,  there  is 
nothing  so  dangerous  to  our  eternal  welfare  as  great 
wealth  ;  it  tends  to  harden  the  heart  by  affording 
the  means  of  constant  self-indulgence :  under  such 
circumstances,  man  is  apt  to  become  selfish,  easily 
satisfied  with  his  own  works,  and  too  proud  to  see 
his  errors.  Did  you  observe  in  the  Litany,  which  I 
read  at  this  morning's  service,  how  very  appropri- 
ately is  inserted  the  prayer  for  deliverance  under  the 
perils  of  wealth? — 

•:  '  In  all  time  of  ourtribulation,  in  all  time  of  our 
wealth,  in  the  hour  of  death,  and  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, good  Lord  deliver  us.' 

"Examine  this,  my  dear  children  :  in  time  of  our 
tribulation — that  is  in  poverty  and  distress,  and  per- 
haps famishing  from  want  (and  in  lew  positions  are 
people  so  incited  to  crimed,  then  in  all  time  of  our 
wealth,  evidently  and  distinctly  placing  wealth  as 
more  dangerous  to  the  soul's  welfare  than  the  ex- 
tremest  poverty  and  its  accompanying  temptations  ; 
ana  observe,  only  exceeded  by  the  most  critical  of 
all  dangerous  positions,  when  all  has  been  done  and 
nothing  can  be  undone — the  hour  of  death,  followed 
by  the  day  of  judgment." 

Mr.  Campbell  ceased  speaking,  and  there  was  a 
pause  for  a  minute  or  two  in  the  conversation,  when 


THE   SETTLERS.  131 

Mary  Percival  said,  "  What  then,  my  dear  uncle,  do 
you  consider  as  the  most  enviable  position  in 
life  ?" 

•'I  consider  a  moderate  independence  as  the  most 
enviable  ;  not  occupied  in  trade,  as  the  spirit  of  bar- 
ter is  too  apt  to  make  us  bend  to  that  which  is  ac- 
tually fraud.  I  should  say,  a  country  gentleman 
living  on  his  own  property  and  among  his  own  ten- 
ants, employing  the  poor  around  him,  holds  a  posi- 
tion in  which  he  has  the  least  temptation  to  do 
wrong,  and  the  most  opportunities  of  doing  good." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  my  dear  Campbell,"  said  his 
wife  ;  "  and  yet  how  few  are  satisfied  even  with 
that  lot." 

"  Because  the  craving  after  wealth  is  so  strong, 
that  every  one  would  have  more  than  he  hath,  and 
few  men  will  be  content.  This  desire  of  aggrandize- 
ment overcomes  and  masters  us  ;  and  vet,  what  can 
be  more  absurd  than  to  witness  the  care  and  anxiety 
of  those  to  gain  riches,  who  have  already  more  per- 
haps than  is  necessary  for  their  wants— thus  '  heap- 
ing up  riches,  not  knowing  who  may  gather  them,' 
and  endangering  the  soul  to  obtain  that  which  they 
must  leave  behind  them  when  they  die.  Others 
amass  wealth,  not  actuated  by  the  avarice  of  hoard- 
ing it  up,  but  by  the  appetite  for  expending  it ;  who 
collect  unjustly  that  they  may  lavish  profusely  ;  these 
are  equally  foolish,  and  how  important  is  that  les- 
son given  in  the  Scriptures."  Mr.  Campbell  opened 
the  Bible  which  lay  before  him,  and  read— 

"  And  he  spake  a'parable  unto  them.  The  ground 
of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully. 

"  And  he  said,  What  shall  I  do  ?  because  1  have 
no  room  where  to  bestow  my  fruits. 

"And  he  said  :  This  will  I  do  ;  I  will  pull  down 
my  barns  and  build  greater,  and  there  will  I  bestow 
all  my  fruits  and  my  goods. 

"And  I  will  say  to  my  soul:  Soul,  thou  hast 
much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years,  take  thine  ease; 
eat,  drink,  and  be  merry. 


132  THE   SETTLERS. 

"But  God  said  unto  him:  Thou  fool,  this  night 
thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee." 

After  a  short  silence,  Mrs.  Campbell  observed,  "1 
have  often  reflected  since  I  have  been  here  upon 
what  might  have  been  our  position  had  we  decided 
upon  remaining  in  England.  We  might  at  this  mo- 
ment have  been  in  the  greatest  distress,  even  want- 
ing a  meal ;  and  I  have,  therefore,  often  thanked 
God  that  he  left  us  the  means  of  comiag  here  and 
providing  for  ourselves  as  we  have  done,  and  as  I 
have  no  doubt  shall,  with  his  blessing,  continue  to 
do.  How  much  better  off  are  we  at  this  moment 
than  many  thousands  of  our  countrymen  who  re- 
main in  England.  How  many  are  starving !  How 
many  are  driven  into  crime  from  want !  while  we 
have  a  good  roof  over  our  heads,  sufficient  clothing, 
and  more  than  sufficient  food.  We  have,  therefore, 
great  reason  to  thank  God  for  the  mercies  he  has 
vouchsafed  to  us  ;  he  has  heard  our  prayer,  '  Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread.'"  "  Yes,"  continued  Mr. 
Campbell,  "  '  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,'  is  all 
that  we  are  taught  to  ask  for;  and  it  comprehends 
all;  and  yet  how  heartlessly  is  this  pronounced  by 
many  of  those  who  do  repeat  their  daily  prayers. 
So  is  the  blessing  asked  at  meals,  which  is  by  roo 
many  considered  as  a  mere  matter  of  form.  They 
forget  that  He  who  gives  can  also  take  away  ;  a^id 
in  their  presumption,  suppose  their  own  ability  aad 
exertion  to  have  been  the  sole  means  of  procuring 
themselves  a  daily  supply  of  food  ;  thanking  them- 
selves rather  than  the  Giver  of  all  good.  How  many 
thousands  are  there  who  have  been  supplied  with 
more  than  they  require  from  their  cradle  down  to 
their  grave,  without  any  grateful  feeling  toward 
Heaven  ;  considering  the  butcher  and  baker  as  their 
providers,  and  the  debt  cancelled  as  soon  as  the  bills 
are  paid.  How  different  must  be  the  feeling  of  the 
poor  cottager,  who  is  uncertain  whether  his  labor 
may  procure  him  and  his  family  a  meal  for  the  mor- 
row, who  often  suffers  privation   and  hunger,  and 


THE   SETTLERS.  133 

what  is  more  painful,  witnesses  the  sufferings  of 
those  he  loves.  How  earnest  must  be  his  prayer 
when  he  cries,  '  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.'  " 
This  conversation  had  a  very  strong  effect  upon 
the  party,  and  when  they  retired  to  rest,  which  they 
did  shortly  after,  they  laid  their  heads  upon  their 
pillows,  not  only  with  resignation,  but  with  thank- 
fulness for  the  mercies  which  had  been  vouchsafed 
to  them,  and  felt  that  in  the  wilderness,  they  were 
under  the  eye  of  a  watchful  and  gracious  Providence. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

On  the  Monday  morning,  Alfred  and  Martin  went 
to  the  cow-house,  and  slaughtered  the  bullock  which 
they  had  obtained  from  the  commandant  of  the  fort. 
When  it  was  skinned  it  was  cut  up,  and  carried  to 
the  storehouse,  where  it  was  hung  up  for  their  win- 
ter consumption. 

As  the  party  were  sitting  down  to  dinner,  they 
were  greeted  by  Captain  Sinclair  and  a  young  lieu- 
tenant of  the  garrison.  It  hardly  need  be  said  that 
the  whole  family  were  delighted  to  see  them.  They 
had  come  overland  in  their  snow-shoes,  and  brought 
some  partridges  or  grouse,  as  they  are  sometimes 
cal/ed,  which  they  had  shot  on  their  way.  Captain 
Sinclair  had  obtained  leave  from  the  commandant  to 
come  over  and  see  how  the  Campbells  were  getting 
on.  He  had  no  news  of  any  importance,  as  they 
had  had  no  recent  communication  with  Quebec  or 
Montreal  ;  all  was  well  at  the  fort,  and  Colonel 
Forster  had  sent  his  compliments,  and  begged  if  he 
could  be  useful,  that  they  would  let  him  know. 
Captain  Sinclair  and  his  friend  sat  down  to  dinner, 
and  talked  more  than  they  ate,  asking  questions 
about  everything. 

"By-the-by,  Mr.  Campbell,  where  have  you  built 
your  pig-sties?" 
Vol.  I.— 12 


134  THE    SETTLERS. 

"Inside  the  palisade,  next  to  the  fowl-house. '? 

"  That  is  well,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair,  "  for  oth- 
erwise you  may  be  troubled  by  the  wolves,  who  are 
very  partial  to  pork  or  mutton." 

"We  have  been  troubled  with  them,"  replied 
Emma  ;  "  at  least  with  their  howlings  at  night, 
which  make  me  tremble  as  I  lie  awake  in  bed." 

"Never  mind  their  howling,  Miss  Emma;  we 
have  plenty  of  them  round  the  fort,  I  can  assure  you  ; 
unless  attacked,  they  will  not  attack  you,  at  least  I 
never  knew  an  instance,  although  I  must  confess  that 
I  have  heard  of  them." 

"You  will  of  course  sleep  here  to-night." 

"  Yes,  we  will,  if  you  have  a  bear  or  buffalo  skin 
to  spare,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair. 

"  We  will  manage  it,  I  have  no  doubt,"  said  Mr. 
Campbell. 

"And  if  you  could  manage,  Captain  Sinclair," 
said  Emma,  somewhat  archly,  "as  you  say  that  they 
are  not  dangerous  animals,  to  bring  us  in  a  few  skins 
to-night,  it  would  make  the  matter  easy." 

"Emma,  how  can  you  talk  such  nonsense?"  cried 
Mary  Percival.  "  Why  should  you  ask  a  guest  to 
undertake  such  a  service?  Why  have  you  not  pro- 
posed it  to  Alfred  or  Henry,  or  even  Martin  ?" 

"  We  will  both  try,  if  you  please,"  replied  Alfred. 

"  I  must  put  my  veto  on  any  such  attempts,  Al- 
fred," said  Mr.  Campbell.  "We  have  sufficient  dan- 
ger to  meet,  without  running  into  it  voluntarily,  and 
we  have  no  occasion  for  wolves'  skins  just  now.  I 
shall,  however,  venture  to  ask  your  assistance  to- 
morrow morning.  We  wish  to  haul  up  the  fishing- 
punt  before  the  ice  sets  in  on  the  lake,  and  we  are 
not  sufficiently  strong-handed." 

During  the  day,  Captain  Sinclair  took  Alfred  aside 
to  know  if  the  old  hunter  had  obtained  any  informa- 
tion relative  to  the  Indians.  Alfred  replied,  that  they 
expected  him  every  day,  but  as  yet  had  not  received 
any  communication  from  him.  Captain  Sinclair 
Elated  that  they  were  equally  ignorant  at  the  fort  as 


THE    SETTLERS.  135 

to  what  had  been  finally  arranged,  and  that  Colonel 
Forster  was  in  hopes  that  the  hunter  would  by  this 
have  obtained  some  intelligence. 

"  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  Malachi  Bone  were 
to  come  here  to-morrow  morning,"  replied  Alfred. 
"  He  has  been  away  a  long  while,  and  I  am  sure  is 
as  anxious  to  have  John  with  him  as  John  is  impa- 
tient to  go." 

"Well,  I  hope  he  will ;  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  some- 
thing to  tell  the  colonel,  as  I  made  the  request  upon 
that  ground.  I  believe,  however,  he  was  very  wil- 
ling that  I  should  find  an  excuse  for  coming  here,  as 
he  is  more  anxious  about  your  family  than  I  could 
have  supposed.  How  well  your  cousin  Mary  is 
looking." 

"Yes,  ana  so  is  Emma,  I  think.  She  has  grown 
half  a  head  since  she  left  England.  By-the-by,  you 
have  to  congratulate  me  on  my  obtaining  my  rank 
as  lieutenant." 

"I  do,  indeed,  my  dear  fellow,"  replied  Captain 
Sinclair.  "  They  will  be  pleased  to  hear  it  at  the 
fort.     When  will  you  come  over  ?" 

"  As  soon  as  I  can  manage  to  trot  a  little  faster  upon 
these  snow-shoes.  If,  however,  the  old  hunter  does 
not  come  to-morrow,  I  will  go  to  the  fort  as  soon  as 
he  brings  us  any  news." 

The  accession  to  their  party  made  them  all  very 
lively,  and  the  evening  passed  away  very  agreeably. 
At  night,  Captain  Sinclair  and  Mr.  Gwynne  were 
ushered  into  the  large  bedroom  where  all  the  young- 
er male  portion  of  the  family  slept,  and  which,  as 
we  before  stated,  had  two  spare  bed-places. 

The  next  morning  Captain  Sinclair  would  have  ac- 
companied the  Miss  Percivals  on  their  milking  ex- 
pedition, but  as  his  services  were  required  to  haul 
up  the  fishing- punt,  he  was  obliged  to  go  down  with 
all  the  rest  of  the  men  to  assist ;  Percival  and  John 
were  the  only  ones  left  at  home  with  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. John,  after  a  time,  having  as  usual  rubbed 
down  his  rifle,  threw  it  on  his  shoulder,  and,  calling 


136  THE   SETTLERS. 

the  dogs  which  lay  ahout,  sallied  forth  for  a  walk, 
followed  by  the  whole  pack  except  old  Sancho,  who 
invariably  accompanied  the  girls  to  the  cow-house. 

Mary  and  Emma  tripped  over  the  new-beaten 
snow-path  to  the  cow-house,  merry  and  cheerful, 
with  their  pails  in  their  hands,  Emma  laughing  at 
Captain  Sinclair's  disappointment  at  not  being  per- 
mitted to  accompany  them.  They  had  just  arrived 
at  the  cow-house,  when  old  Sancho  barked  furiously, 
and  sprang  to  the  side  of  the  building  behind  them, 
and  in  a  moment  afterward  rolled  down  the  snow  heap 
which  he  had  sprang  over,  holding  on  and  held  fast  by 
a  lanje  black  wolf.  The  struggle  was  not  very  long, 
and  during  the  time  that  it  lasted  the  girls  were  so 
panic-struck  that  they  remained  like  statues  within 
two  yards  of  the  animals.  Gradually  the  old  dog  was 
overpowered  by  the  repeated  snapping  bites  of  the 
wolf,  yet  he  fought  nobly  to  the  last  when  he  dropped 
under  the  feet  of  the  wolf,  his  tongue  hanging  out, 
bleeding  profusely,  and  lifeless.  As  soon  as  his 
adversary  was  overpowered,  the  enraged  animal, 
with  his  feet  upon  the  body  of  the  dog,  bristling 
his  hair  and  showing  his  powerful  teeth,  was  evi- 
dently about  to  attack  the  young  women.  Emma 
threw  her  arms  round  Mary's  waist,  advancing  her 
body  so  as  to  save  her  sister.  Mary  attempted  the 
same,  and  then  they  remained  waiting  in  horror  for 
the  expected  spring  of  the  animal,  when  of  a  sudden 
the  other  dogs  came  rushing  forward,  cheered  on  by 
John,  and  flew  upon  the  animal.  Their  united 
strength  soon  tore  him  down  to  the  ground,  and  John 
coming  up,  as  the  wolf  defended  himself  against  his 
new  assailants,  put  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  to  the  an- 
imal's head,  and  shot  it  dead. 

The  two  sisters  had  held  up  during  the  whole  of  this 
alarming  struggle  ;  but  as  soon  as  they  perceived  the 
wolf  was  dead  and  that  they  were  safe,  Mary  could 
stand  no  longer,  and  sank  down  on  her  knees,  sup- 
porting her  sister,  who  had  become  insensible. 

If  John  showed  gallantry  in  shooting  the  wolf,  he 


THE   SETTLERS.  137 

certainly  showed  very  little  toward  his  cousins.  He 
looked  at  Mary,  nodded  his  head  toward  the  wolf's 
body,  and  saying  "He's  dead,"  shouldered  his  rifle, 
turned  round,  and  walked  back  to  the  house. 

On  his  return,  he  found  that  the  party  had  just 
come  back  from  hauling  up  the  punt,  and  were  wait- 
ing the  return  of  the  Miss  Percivals  to  go  to  break- 
fast. 

"  Was  that  you  that  fired  just  now,  John  ?"  said 
Martin. 

"  Yes,"  replied  John. 

"What  did  you  fire  at?"  said  Alfred. 

"  A  wolf,"  replied  John. 

"A  wolf!  where?"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  At  the  cow-lodge,"  replied  John. 

"  At  the  cow-lodge  !"  said  his  father. 

"Yes;  killed  Sancho!" 

"Killed  Sancho!  why,  Sancho  was  with  your 
cousins  !" 

"Yes,"  replied  John. 

"Then,  where  did  you  leave  them?" 

"  With  the  wolf,"  replied  John,  wiping  his  rifle 
very  coolly. 

"  Merciful  Heaven  !"  cried  Mr.  Campbell,  as  Mrs. 
Campbell  turned  pale  ;  and  Alfred,  Captain  Sinclair, 
Manin,  and  Henry,  seizing  their  rifles,  darted  out 
from  the  house,  and  ran  with  all  speed  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  cow-house. 

"  My  poor  girls  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Campbell. 

"Wolf's  dead,  father,"  said  John. 

"Dead!  Why  didn't  you  say  so,  you  naughty 
boy  ?"  cried  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  I  wasn't  asked,"  replied  John. 

In  the  meantime  the  other  party  had  gained  the 
cow-house  ;  and,  to  their  horror,  beheld  the  wolf  and 
dog  dead,  and  the  two  young  women  lying  on  the 
snow  close  to  the  two  animals ;  for  Mary  had  fainted 
away  shortly  after  John  had  walked  off.  They 
rushed  toward  the  bodies  of  the  two  girls,  and  soon 
discovered  that  they  were  not  hurt.    In  a  short  time, 


138  THE   SETTLERS. 

they  were  recovered  and  were  supported  by  the 
young  men  to  the  house. 

As  soon  as  they  arrived,  Mrs.  Campbell  took  them 
into  their  room,  that  they  might  rally  their  spirits, 
and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  returned  to  the  party  out- 
side, who  eagerly  inquired  how  they  were. 

"  They  are  much  more  composed,"  replied  Mrs. 
Campbell  ;  "  and  Emma  has  begun  to  laugh  again  ; 
but  her  laugh  is  rather  hysterical  and  forced  ;  they 
will  come  out  at  dinner-time.  It  appears  that  they 
are  indebted  to  John  for  their  preservation,  for  they 
say  the  wolf  was  about  to  spring  upon  them  when 
he  came  to  their  assistance.  We  ought  to  very 
grateful  to  Heaven  for  their  preservation.  I  had  no 
idea,  after  what  Martin  said  about  the  wolves,  that 
they  were  so  dangerous." 

"  Why,  ma'am,  it  is  I  that  am  most  to  blame,  and 
that's  the  fact,"  replied  Martin.  "  When  we  killed 
the  bullock,  I  threw  the  offal  on  the  heap  of  snow 
close  to  the  cow-lodge,  meaning  that  the  wolves  and 
other  animals  might  eat  it  at  night,  but  it  seems  that 
this  animal  was  hungry,  and  had  not  left  his  meal 
when  the  dog  attacked  him,  and  that  made  the  beast 
so  rily  and  savage." 

"  Yes  ;  it  was  ihe  fault  of  Martin  and  me,"  replied 
Alfred.     "  Thank  Heaven  it's  no  worse  !" 

"  So  far  from  its  being  a  subject  of  regret,  I  consider 
it  one  of  thankfulness,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell.  "  This 
might  have  happened  when  there  was  no  one  to  as- 
sist, and  our  dear  girls  might  have  been  torn  to  pieces. 
Now  that  we  know  the  danger,  we  may  guard 
against  it  for  the  future." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Martin  ;  "  in  future  some  of  us 
will  drive  the  cows  home,  to  be  milked  every  morn- 
ing and  evening  :  inside  the  palisade  there  will  be 
no  danger.  Master  John,  you  have  done  well.  You 
see,  ma'am,"  continued  Martin,  "  what  I  said  has 
come  irue.  A  rifle  in  the  hands  of  a  child  is  as 
deadly  a  weapon  as  in  the  hands  of  a  strong  man." 

"Yes  ;  if  courage  and  presence  of  mind  attend  its 


THE   SETTLERS.  139 

use,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell.  "  John,  I  am  very  much 
pleased  with  your  conduct." 

"  Mother  called  me  naughty,"  replied  John,  rather 
sulkily. 

"  Yes,  John,  I  called  you  naughty,  for  not  telling 
us  the  wolf  was  dead,  and  leaving  us  to  suppose  that 
your  cousins  were  in  danger  ;  not  for  killing  the  wolf. 
Now  I  kiss  you,  and  thank  you  for  your  bravery  and 
good  conduct." 

"  I  shall  tell  all  the  officers  at  the  fort  what  a  gal- 
lant little  fellow  you  are,  John,"  said  Captain  Sin- 
clair ;  "  there  are  very  few  of  them  who  have  shot 
a  woif,  and  what  is  more,  John,  I  have  a  beautiful 
dog,  which  one  of  the  officers  gave  me  the  other  day 
in  exchange  for  a  pony,  and  I  will  bring  it  over,  and 
make  it  a  present  to  you  for  your  own  dog.  He  will 
hunt  anything,  and  he  is  very  powerful — quite  able 
to  master  a  wolf,  if  you  meet  with  one.  He  is  half 
mastiff  and  half  Scotch  deerhound,  and  he  stands  as 
high  as  this,"  continued  Captain  Sinclair,  holding 
his  hand  about  as  high  as  John's  shoulder. 

"  I'll  go  to  the  fort  with  you,"  said  John,  "  and 
bring  him  back." 

"So  you  shall,  John,  and  I'll  go  with  you,"  said 
Martin,  "if  master  pleases." 

"  Well,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell,  "  I  think  he  may  ; 
what  with  Martin,  his  own  rifle,  and  the  dog,  John 
will,  I  trust,  be  safe  enough." 

"  Certainly,  I  have  no  objection,"  said  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, "  and  many  thanks  to  you,  Captain  Sinclair." 

"  What's  the  dog's  name  ?"  said  John. 

"Oscar,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair.  "  If  you  let 
him  walk  out  with  your  cousins,  they  need  not  fear 
a  wolf.  He  will  never  be  mastered  by  one  as  poor 
Sancho  was." 

"I'll  lend  him  sometimes,"  replied  John. 

"Always;  when  you  don't  want  him  yourself, 
John." 

"  Yes,  always,"  replied  John,  who  was  going  out 
of  the  door. 


140  THE   SETTLERS. 

"Where  are  you  going,  dear?"  said  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. 

"  Going  to  skin  the  wolf,"  replied  John,  walking 
away. 

"  Well,  he'll  be  a  regular  keen  hunter,"  observed 
Martin.  "  I  dare  say  old  Bone  has  taught  him  to 
flay  an  animal.  However,  I'll  go  and  help  him,  for 
it's  a  real  good  skin."  So  saying,  Martin  followed 
John. 

"  Martin  ought  to  have  known  better  than  to  leave 
the  offal  where  he  did,"  observed  Captain  Sinclair. 

"We  must  not  be  too  hard,  Captain  Sinclair," 
said  Alfred.  "  Martin  has  a  contempt  for  wolves, 
and  that  wolf  would  not  have  stood  his  ground  had 
it  been  a  man  instead  of  two  young  women  who 
were  in  face  of  him.  Wolves  are  very  cunuing,  and 
I  know  will  attack  a  woman  or  child  when  they  will 
fly  from  a  man.  Besides,  it  is  very  unusual  for  a 
wolf  to  remain  till  daylight,  even  when  there  is  offal 
to  tempt  him.  It  was  the  offal,  the  animal's  extreme 
hunger,  and  the  attack  of  the  dog — a  combination  of 
circumstances— which  produced  the  event.  I  do  not 
see  that  Martin  can  be  blamed,  as  one  can  not  foresee 
everything." 

"Perhaps  not,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair,  "and 
'all's  well  that  ends  well.'" 

"Are  there  any  other  animals  to  fear ?"  inquired 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  The  bear  is  now  safe  for  the  winter  in  the  hol- 
low of  some  tree  or  under  some  root,  where  he  has 
made  a  den.  It  will  not  come  out  till  the  spring. 
The  catamount  or  panther  is  a  much  more  danger- 
ous animal  than  the  wolf;  but  it  is  scarce.  I  do 
think,  however,  that  the  young  ladies  should  not 
venture  out  unless  with  some  rifles  in  company,  for 
fear  of  another  mischance.  We  have  plenty  of 
lynxes  here;  hut.  I  doubt  if  they  would  attack  even 
a  child,  although  they  fight  when  assailed,  and  bite 
and  claw  severely"." 

The  Misses  Percival  now  made  their  appearance. 


THE   SETTLERS.  141 

tmraa  wbs  very  merry,  but  Mary  rather  grave. 
Captain  Sinclair,  having  shaken  hands  with  them 
both,  said— 

"  Why,  Emma,  you  appear  to  have  recovered 
sooner  than  your  sister !" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Emma ;  "  but  I  was  much  more 
frightened  than  she  was,  and  she  supported  me,  or  I 
should  have  fallen  at  the  wolfs  feet.  I  yielded  to 
my  fears ;  Mary  held  up  against  hers ;  so,  as  her 
exertions  were  much  greater  than  mine,  she  has  not 
recovered  from  them  so  soon.  The  fact  is,  Mary  is 
brave  when  there  is  danger,  and  I  am  only  brave 
when  there  is  none."  * 

"  I  was  quite  as  much  frightened  as  you,  my  dear 
Emma,"  said  Mary  Percival ;  "  but  we  must  now 
help  our  aunt,  and  get  dinner  ready  on  the  table." 

"I  can  not  say  that  I  have  a  wolfish  appetite  this 
morning,"  replied  Emma,  laughing ;  "  but  Alfred  will 
eat  for  me  and  himself  too." 

In  a  few  minutes  dinner  was  on  the  table,  and  they 
all  sat  down  without  waiting  for  Martin  and  John, 
who  were  still  busy  skinning  the  wolf. 


142  THE   SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"  Here  come  Martin  and  John  at  last,"  said  Mr. 
Campbell,  after  they  had  been  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  at  table. 

But  he  was  mistaken  ;  instead  of  Martin  and  John, 
Malachi  Bone  made  his  appearance,  and,  to  their 
surprise,  accompanied  by  his  young  squaw,  the 
Strawberry  Plant. 

Every  one  rose  to  welcome  them,  and  the  Misses 
Percival  went  to  their  little  female  acquaintance,  and 
would  have  made  her  sit  down  with  them,  but  she 
refused,  and  took  her  seat  on  the  floor  near  the  fire. 

"She  an't  used  to  chairs  and  stools,  miss;  let  her 
be  where  she  is,"  said  old  Bone,  "  she'll  be  more 
comfortable,  and  that's  what  you  want  her  to  be,  I'm 
sure.  I  brought  her  with  me,  because  I  could  not 
carry  all  the  venison  myself,  and  also  to  show  her 
the  way  in  and  out  of  the  house,  and  how  it  is  fas- 
tened, in  case  of  sending  a  message  by  night." 

"  Of  sending  a  message  by  night,"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell,  with  surprise  ;  "  why,  what  possible  occa- 
sion could  there  be  for  that  ?" 

Captain  Sinclair  and  Alfred,  who  perceived  that 
the  old  hunter  had  said  too  much,  were  quite  at  a 
loss  what  to  say.  They  did  not  like  to  frighten  Mrs. 
Campbell  and  the  girls  about  the  Indians,  especially 
as  they  had  just  been  so  much  alarmed  with  the 
accident  of  the  morning.  At  last  Alfred  replied, 
"  The  fact  is,  my  dear  mother,  that  '  forewarned  is 
being  forearmed,'  as  the  saying  is  ;  and  I  told  Martin 
to  request  Malachi  Bone,  if  he  should  hear  of  any 
Indians  being  about  or  near  us,  to  let  us  know  imme* 
diately." 


THE    SETTLERS.  143 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  that  is  the  whole  story,"  continued 
Malachi.  "  It's  the  best  plan,  when  you're  in  the 
woods  always  to  have  your  rifle  loaded." 

Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  girls  were  evidently  not  a 
tittle  fluttered  at  this  fresh  intimation  of  danger. 
Captain  Sinclair  perceived  it,  and  said,  "  We  have 
always  spies  on  the  lookout  at  the  fort,  that  we  may 
know  where  the  Indians  are  and  what  they  are 
about.  Last  month,  we  know  that  they  held  a  coun- 
cil, but  that  it  broke  up  without  their  coming  to  any 
determination,  and  that  no  hostile  feeling  was  ex- 
pressed so  far  as  we  could  ascertain.  But  we  never 
trust  the  Indians,  and  they,  knowing  that  we  watch 
them,  have  been  verv  careful  not  to  commit  any  out- 
rages; they  have  not  done  so  for  a  long  while,  nor 
do  I  think  they  will  venture  again.  At  the  same 
time,  we  like  to  know  where  they  are,  and  I  requested 
Alfred  to  speak  to  Malachi  Bone,  to  send  us  imme- 
diate word  if  he  heard  or  saw  anything  of  them  :  not, 
however,  that  I  intended  that  the  ladies  should  be 
wakened  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night,"  continued 
Captain  Sinclair,  laughing;  "that  was  not  at  all 
necessary." 

Malachi  Bone  would  have  responded,  but  Alfred 
pinched  his  arm  ;  the  old  man  understood  what  was 
meant,  and  held  his  tongue;  at  last  he  said — 

"  Well,  well,  there's  no  harm  done,  it's  just  as 
well  that  the  Strawberry  should  know  her  way 
about  the  location,  if  it's  only  to  know  where  the 
dogs  are,  in  case  she  comes  of  a  message." 

"  No,  no,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell,  "I'm  glad  that 
she  is  come,  and  hope  she  will  come  very  often. 
Now,  Malachi,  sit  down  and  eat  something." 

*'  Well,  but  about  the  Indians,  Captain  Sinclair,—" 
said  Mrs.  Campbell  ;  "  that  you  have  not  told  us  all 
I  am  certain,  and  the  conviction  that  such  is  the 
case,  will  make  me  and  the  girls  very  uneasy;  so 
pray  do  treat  us  as  we  ought  to  be  treated  ;  we  share 
the  danger,  and  we  ought  to  know  what  the  danger 
is." 


144  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  there  is  any  clanger,  Mrs. 
Campbell,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair,  "  unless  Malachi 
has  further  information  to  give  us.  I  do,  however, 
perfectly  agree  with  you,  that  you  ought  to  know  all 
that  we  know,  and  am  quite  ready  to  enter  upon  the 
subject,  trifling  as  it  is." 

"  So  I  presume  it  must  be,  my  dear,"  observed  Mr. 
Campbell,  "  for  I  have  as  yet  known  nothing  about 
the  matter.  So  pray,  Captain  Sinclair,  instruct  us  all." 

Captain  Sinclair  then  stated  what  he  had  before 
mentioned  to  Alfred,  and  having  so  done,  pointed  out 
that  mere  was  no  occasion  for  alarm,  he  requested 
Malachi  Bone  would  say  if  he  had  any  further  infor- 
mation. 

"  The  Inguns  did  meet  as  you  say,  and  they  could 
not  agree,  so  they  broke  up,  and  are  now  all  out 
upon  their  hunting  and  trapping  for  furs.  But  there's 
one  thing  1  don't  exactly  feel  comfortable  about, 
which  is  that  the  'Angry  Snake,'  as  he  is  called,  who 
was  at  the  '  talk,'  and  was. mighty  venomous  against 
the  English,  has  squatted  for  the  winter  somewhere 
here  about." 

"  The  Angry  Snake,"  said  Captain  Sinclair.  "Is 
that  the  chief  who  served  with  the  French,  and 
wears  a  medal  ?" 

"  The  very  same,  sir.  He's  not  a  chief  though  ; 
he  was  a  very  good  warrior  in  his  day,  and  the 
French  were  very  partial  to  him,  as  he  served  them 
well ;  but  he  is  no  chief,  although  he  was  considered 
as  a  sort  of  one  from  the  consequence  he  obtained 
with  the  French.  He  is  an  old  man  now,  and  a 
very  bitter  one.  Many's  the  Englishman  that  he 
has  tied  to  the  stake,  and  tortured  during  the  war. 
He  hates  us,  and  is  always  stirring  up  the  Indians 
to  make  war  with  us  ;  but  his  day  has  gone  by,  and 
they  do  not  heed  him  at  the  council  now." 

"  Then,  why  are  you  uncomfortable  about  him?" 
said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  Because  he  has  taken  up  his  quarters  for  the 
winter  hunting  not  far  from  us,  with  six  or  seven  of 


THE    SETTLERS.  145 

the  young  warriors,  who  look  up  to  him,  and  he  is 
mischievous.     If  the  Ingun  nation  won't  make  war 
he  will  do  something  on  his  own  account,  if  he  pos- 
sibly  can.     He's  not  badly  named,  I  can  tell  vou  " 
"  Will  he  attack  you?"  ' 

"  Me  !  no,  no  ;  he  knows  better.     He  knows  my 
rifle  well  ;  he  has  the  mark  on  his  body  ;  not  but 
that  he  would  if  he  dared,  but  I  am  Ingun  myself, 
and  know  Ingun  craft.     Then  you  see,  these  people 
have  strange  ideas.     During    the  whole  war  thev 
never  could  even  hit  me  with  their  rifles,  and  they 
think  I  am  not  to  be  hurt— that's  their  superstition 
—and   my  rifle,  they   think,  never  misses  (they're 
almost  right  there,  for  it  does  not  once  in  a  hundred 
times),  so  what  with  this  and  that,  they  fear  me  as 
a  supernatural,  as  we  call  it.     But   that's  not  the 
case  with  you  all  here  ;  and  if  the  Snake  could  creep 
within  these  palisades,  he  might  be  mischievous." 
"  But  the  tribes  know  very  well  that  any  attack 
of  this  kind  would  be  considered  as  a  declaration  of 
hostilities,"  said  Captain   Sinclair,   "and   that  we 
should  retaliate." 

"  Yes  ;  but  you  see  the  Snake  don't  belong  to  these 
tribes  about  us  ;  his  nation  is  much  farther  off,  too 
far  to  go  for  redress ;  and  the  tribes  here,  although 
they  allow  him  to  join  the  '  talk  '  as  an  old  warrior 
who  had  served  against  the  English,  and  from  re- 
spect to  his  age,  do  not  acknowledge  him  or  his 
doings.  They  would  disavow  them  immediately  and 
with  truth,  but  they  can  not  prevent  his  rtoin°-  mis- 
chief." 

"  What,  then,  is  the  redress  in  case  oi  hi*  doing 
any  mischief?"  said  Henry. 

"  Why,  upon  him  and  his  band,  whenever  you 
can  find  them.  You  may  destroy  them  all,  and  the 
Inguns  here  won't  say  a  word,  or  make  any  com- 
plaint. That's  all  that  can  be  done  ;  and  that's 
what  I  will  do  ;  I  mean  to  tell  him  so,  when  I  mee' 
him.  He  fears  me,  and  so  do  his  men  ;  they  think 
me  medicine." 

Vol.  L— 13 


i46  THE    SETTLERS. 

"  Medicine  !    Whal  is  that  ?"  said  Henry. 

"It  means  that  he  has  a  charmed  life,"  replied 
Captain  Sinclair.  The  Indians  are  very  supersti- 
tious." 

"  Yes,  they  be  ;  well,  perhaps,  I'll  prove  medi- 
cine ;  and  I'll  give  them  a  pill  or  two  out  of  my 
rifle,"  said  Malachi,  with  a  grim  smile.  "  Howsom- 
ever,  I'll  soon  learn  more  about  them,  and  will  let 
you  know  when  I  do.  Just  keep  your  palisade  gates 
fast  at  night  and  the  dogs  inside  of  them,  and  at  any 
time  I'll  give  you  warning.  If  I  am  on  their  trail  the 
Strawberry  shall  come,  and  that's  why  I  brought 
her  here.  If  you  hear  three  knocks  outside  the  palis- 
ade at  any  hour  of  the  night,  why  it  will  be  her,  so 
let  her  in." 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell,  "  I'm  very  glad  that 
you  have  told  me  all  this  ;  now  I  know  what  we 
have  to  expect,  I  shall  be  more  courageous  and  much 
more  on  my  guard." 

"  I  think  we  have  done  wisely  in  letting  you  know 
all  we  knew  ourselves,"  said  Captain  Sinclair.  "  I 
must  soon  take  my  leave,  as  I  must  be  at  the  fort 
before  sunset.  Martin  and  John  are  to  come  with 
me,  and  bring  back  the  dog." 

"  Ain't  the  boy  going  with  me?"  said  Malachi. 

"  Yes  ;  to-morrow  morning  he  may  go,  but  aftei 
his  return  from  the  fort  it  will  be  too  late." 

"  Well,  then,  I  may  as  well  stay  here,"  replied 
Malachi.     "  Where  is  he  ?" 

"  He  is  gone  to  skin  a  wolf,  which  he  shot  this 
morning,"  replied  Alfred.     "He  will  soon  be  here." 

Mrs.  Campbell  shortly  related  to  Malachi  the  ad- 
venture of  the  wolf.  The  old  hunter  listened  in 
silence,  and  then  gave  a  nod  of  approbation. 

"I  reckon  he'll  bring  home  more  skins  than  tha 
this  winter,"  said  he. 

The  pariy  then  rose  just  as  Martin  and  John  made 
their  appearance.  Captain  Sinclair  conversed  with 
the  Misses  Percival,  while  the  old  hunter  spoke  to 
the  Strawberry  Plant  in  her  own  dialect;  the  others 


THE   SETTLERS.  147 

either  went  out  or  were  busy  in  clearing  the  table, 
till  Captain  Sinclair  took  his  departure  with  John 
and  Martin,  each  armed  with  a  rifle. 

"  Well,  this  has  been  an  exciting  day,"  observed 
Mr.  Campbell,  a  little  before  they  reiired  *o  bed. 
"  We  have  much  to  thank  God  for,  and  great  reason 
to  pray  for  his  continued  protection  and  assistance. 
God  bless  you  all,  my  children  ;  good  night." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  next  morning,  a  little  after  daybreak,  Martin 
and  John  made  their  appearance,  leading  the  mag- 
nificent dog  which  Captain  Sinclair  had  given  to 
John.  Like  most  large  dogs,  Oscar  appeared  to  be 
very  good-tempered,  and  treated  the  snarling  and 
angry  looks  of  the  other  dogs  with  perfect  contempt. 

"  It  is,  indeed,  a  noble  animal,"  said  Mr.  Campbell, 
patting  its  head. 

"  It's  a  fine  creature,"  observed  Malachi,  "  a  wolf 
would  stand  no  chance  against  him,  and  even  a  bear 
would  have  more  on  its  hands  than  it  could  well 
manage  I  expect ;  but,  come  here,  boy,"  said  the  old 
hunter  to  John,  leading  the  way  outside  of  the  door. 

"  You'd  better  leave  the  dog,  John,"  said  Malachi, 
"  the  crittur  will  be  of  use  here,  but  of  no  good  to 
us." 

John  made  no  reply,  and  the  hunter  continued — 

"  I  say  it  will  be  of  use  here,  for  the  girls  might 
meet  with  another  wolf,  or  the  house  might  be  at- 
tacked ;  but  good  hunters  don't  want  dogs.  Is  it  to 
watch  for  us,  and  give  us  notice  of  danger?  Why 
that's  our  duly,  and  we  must  trust  to  ourselves,  and 
not  to  an  animal.  Is  it  to  hunt  for  us?  Why  no 
dog  can  take  a  deer  so  well  as  we  can  with  our 
rifles  ;  a  dog  may  discover  us  when  we  wish  to  be 
hidden  ;  a  dog's  track  will  mark  us  out  when  we 
would  wish  our  track  to  be  doubted.     The  animal 


»48  THE   SETTLERS. 

will  be  of  no  utility  ever  to  us,  John,  and  may  do  us 
harm,  'specially  now  the  snow's  on  the  ground.  In 
the  summer  time,  you  can  take  him  and  teach  him 
how  to  behave  as  a  hunter's  dog  should  behave  ;  but 
we  had  better  leave  him  now,  and  start  at  once." 

John  nodded  his  head  in  assent,  and  then  went  in 
doors. 

"  Good-by,"  said  John,  going  up  to  his  mother 
and  cousins  ;  "  I  shall  not  take  the  dog." 

"Won't  take  the  dog!  well,  that's  very  kind  of 
you,  John,"  said  Mary,  "  for  we  were  longing  to 
have  him  to  protect  us." 

John  shouldered  his  rifle,  made  a  sign  to  Straw- 
berry Plant,  who  rose  and  looking  kindly  at  Mrs. 
Campbell  and  the  girls,  without  speaking,  followed 
John  out  of  the  hut.  Malachi  certainly  was  not  very 
polite  for  he  walked  off,  in  company  with  John  and 
the  squaw,  without  taking  the  trouble  to  say  "  good- 
by."  It  must,  however,  be  observed  that  he  was 
m  conversation  with  Martin,  who  accompanied  them 
on  the  way. 

The  winter  had  now  become  very  severe.  The 
thermometer  was  twenty  degrees  below  the  freezing 
point,  and  the  cold  was  so  intense,  that  every  pre- 
caution was  taken  against  it.  More  than  once  Per- 
cival,  whose  business  it  was  to  bring  in  the  fire- 
wood, was  frost  bitten,  but  as  Mrs.  Campbell  was 
very  watchful,  the  remedy  of  cold  snow  was  always 
successfully  applied.  The  howling  of  the  wolves 
continued  every  night,  but  they  were  now  used  to  it, 
and  the  only  effect  was,  when  one  came  more  than 
usually  close  to  the  house,  to  make  Oscar  raise  his 
head,  growl,  listen  awhile,  and  then  lie  down  to 
sleep  again.  Oscar  became  very  fond  of  the  girls, 
and  was  their  invariable  companion  whenever  they 
left  the  house.  Alfred,  Martin,  and  Henry,  went  out 
almost  daily  on  hunting  excursions  ;  indeed,  as  there 
were  no  crops  in  the  barn,  they  had  little  else  to  do. 
Mr.  Campbell  remained  at  home  with  his  wife  and 
nieces;  occasionally,  but  not  very   often,  Perchal 


THE   SETTLERS.  149 

accompanied  the  hunters;  of  Malachi  and  John, 
they  saw  but  little  ;  John  returned  about  every  ten 
days,  but  although  he  adhered  to  his  promise,  his 
anxiety  to  go  back  to  Malachi  was  so  very  apparent, 
and  he  was  so  restless,  that  Mrs.  Campbell  rather 
wished  him  to  be  away,  than  remain  at  home  so 
much  against  his  will. 

Thus  passed  away  the  time  till  the  year  closed  in  ; 
confined  as  they  were  by  the  severity  of  the  weather, 
and  having  little  or  nothing  to  do,  the  winter  ap- 
peared longer  and  more  tedious  than  it  would  have 
done  if  they  had  been  settled  longer,  and  had  the 
crops  to  occupy  their  attention  ;  for  it  is  in  the  win- 
ter that  the  Canadian  farmer  gets  through  all  his 
thrashing  and  other  work  connected  with  his  farm, 
preparatory  for  the  coming  spring.  This  being  their 
first  winter,  they  had,  of  course,  no  crops  gathered 
in,  and  were,  therefore,  in  want  of  employment. 
Mrs.  Campbell  and  her  nieces  worked  and  read,  and 
employed  themselves  in  every  way  that  they  could, 
but  constancy  shut  up  within  doors,  they  could  not 
help  feeling  the  monotony  and  ennui  of  their  situa- 
tion. The  young  men  found  occupation  and  amuse- 
ment in  the  chase  ;  they  brought  in  a  variety  of  ani- 
mals and  skins,  and  the  evenings  were  generally 
devoted  to  a  narration  of  what  occurred  in  the  day 
during  their  hunting  excursions,  but  even  these  his- 
tories of  the  chase  were  at  last  heard  with  indiffer- 
ence. It  was  the  same  theme  only  with  variations, 
over  and  over  again,  and  there  was  no  longer  much 
excitement  in  listening. 

"I  wonder  when  John  will  come  back  again," 
observed  Emma  to  her  sister,  as  they  were  sitting 
at  work. 

"  Why  he  only  left  two  days  ago,  so  we  must  not 
expect  him  for  some  time." 

"I  know  that;  I  wonder  if  Oscar  would  kill  a 
wolf,  I  should  like  to  take  him  out  and  try." 

"  I  thought  you  had  had  enough  of  wolves  already, 
Emma,"  replied  Mary. 

<3* 


150  THE   SETTLERS. 

"Yes,  well ;  that  old  Malachi  will  never  bring  U3 
any  more  news  about  the  Indians,"  continued  Emma 
yawning. 

"  Why  I  do  not  think  that  any  news  about  them 
is  likely  to  be  pleasant  news,  Emma,  and  therefore 
why  should  you  wish  it." 

"  Why,  my  dear  Mary,  because  I  want  some  news  ; 
I  want  something  to  excite  me,  I  leel  so  dull.  It's 
nothing  but  stitch,  stitch,  all  day,  and  I  am  tired 
of  always  doing  the  same  thing.  What  a  horrid 
thing  a  Canadian  winter  is,  and  not  one  half  over 
yet." 

"  It  is  very  dull  and  monotonous,  my  dear  Emma, 
I  admit,  and  if  we  had  more  variety  of  employment, 
we  should  find  it  more  agreeable,  but  we  ought  to 
feel  grateful  that  we  have  a  good  house  over  our 
heads,  and  more  security  than  we  anticipated." 

"  Almost  too  much  security,  Mary ;  I  begin  to  feel 
that  I  could  welcome  an  Indian  even  in  his  war- 
paint, just  by  way  of  a  little  change." 

"  I  think  you  would  soon  repent  of  your  wish,  if 
it  were  gratified." 

"Very  likely,  but  I  can't  help  wishing  it  now. 
When  will  they  come  home?  What  o'clock  is  it? 
I  wonder  what  they'll  bring,  the  old  story  I  suppose, 
a  buck  ;  I'm  sick  of  venison." 

"  Indeed,  Emma,  you  are  wrong  to  feel  such  dis- 
content and  weariness." 

"Perhaps  I  am,  but  I  have  not  walked  a  hundred 
yards  for  nearly  one  hundred  days,  and  that  will 
give  one  the  blues,  as  they  call  them,  and  I  do  noth- 
ing but  yawn,  yawn,  yawn,  for  want  of  air  and  exer- 
cise. Uncle  wont  let  us  move  out  on  account  of  that 
horrid  wolf.  I  wonder  how  Captain  Sinclair  is  get- 
ting on  at  the  fort,  and  whether  he  is  as  dull  as  we 
are." 

To  do  Emma  justice,  it  was  seldom  that  she  in- 
dulged herself  in  such  lamentings,  but  the  tedium 
was  more  than  her  high  flow  of  spirits  could  well 
bear.     Mrs.  Campbell  made  a  point  of  arranging  the 


THE    SETTLERS.  151 

household,  which  gave  her  occupation,  and  Mary 
from  natural  disposition  did  not  feel  the  confinement 
as  much  as  Emma  did  ;  whenever,  therefore,  she  did 
show  symptoms  of  restlessness  or  was  tempted  to 
utter  a  complaint,  they  reasoned  with  and  soothed, 
but  never  reproached  her. 

The  day  after  this  conversation,  Emma,  to  amuse 
herself,  took  a  rifle  and  went  out  with  Percival.  She 
fired  several  shots  at  a  mark,  and  by  degrees  acquired 
some  dexterity  ;  gradually  she  became  fond  of  the 
exercise,  and  not  a  day  passed  that  she  and  Percival 
did  not  practise  for  an  hour  or  two,  until  at  last  Em- 
ma could  fire  with  great  precision.  Practice  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  perfect  use  of  your  weapon  gives 
confidence,  and  this  Emma  did  at  last  acquire.  She 
challenged  Alfred  and  Henry  to  fire  at  the  bull's-eye 
with  her,  and  whether  by  their  gallantry  or  her  su- 
perior dexterity,  she  was  declared  victor.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  smiled  when  Emma  came  in  and  nar- 
rated her  success,  and  felt  glad  that  she  had  found 
something  which  afforded  her  amusement. 

It  happened  that  one  evening  the  hunters  were 
very  late  ;  it  was  a  clear  moonlight  night,  but  at 
eight  o'clock,  they  had  not  made  their  appearance  ; 
Percival  had  opened  the  door  to  go  out  for  some  fire- 
wood which  had  been  piled  within  the  palisades,  and 
as  it  Avas  later  than  the  usual  hour  for  locking  the 
palisade  gates,  Mr.  Campbell  had  directed  him  so  to 
do.  Emma,  attracted  by  the  beauty  of  the  night, 
was  at  the  door  of  the  house,  when  the  howl  of  a 
wolf  was  heard  close  to  them  ;  the  dogs,  accustomed 
to  it,  merely  sprang  on  their  feet,  but  did  not  leave 
the  kitchen  fire  ;  Emma  went  out  and  looked  through 
the  palisades  to  see  if  she  could  perceive  the  animal, 
and  little  Trim,  the  terrier,  followed  her.  Now 
Trim  was  so  small,  that  he  could  creep  between  the 
palisades,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  close  to  them,  per- 
ceiving the  wolf,  the  courageous  little  animal  squeez- 
ed through  them  and  flew  toward  it,  barking  as  loud 
as  he  could.     Emma  immediately  ran  in,  took  down 


152  THE   SETTLERS. 

her  rifle  and  went  out  again,  as  she  knew  ihat  poor 
Trim  would  soon  be  devoured.  The  supposition 
was  correct,  the  wolf  instead  of  retreating  closed 
with  the  little  dog  and  seized  it.  Emma,  who  could 
now  plainly  perceive  the  animal,  which  was  about 
forty  yards  from  her,  took  aim  and  fired,  just  as  poor 
Trim  gave  a  loud  yelp.  Her  aim  was  good,  and  the 
wolf  and  dog  lay  side  by  side.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, and  Mary,  hearing  the  report  of  the  rifle,  ran 
out,  and  found  Percival  and  Emma  at  the  palisades 
behind  the  house. 

"  I  have  killed  him,  aunt,"  said  Emma,  <:  but  I 
fear  he  has  killed  poor  little  Trim  ;  do  let  us  go  out 
and  see." 

"  No,  no,  my  dear  Emma,  that  must  not  be  ;  youi 
cousins  will  be  home  soon,  and  then  we  sha-ll  know 
how  the  case  stands  ;  but  the  risk  is  too  great." 

"  Here  they  come,"  said  Percival,  "  as  fast  as  they 
can  run." 

The  hunters  were  soon  at  the  palisade-door  and 
admitted  ;  they  had  no  game  with  them.  Emma 
jeered  them  for  coming  back  empty-handed. 

"  No,  no,  my  little  cousin,"  replied  Alfred,  "  we 
heard  the  report  of  a  rifle,  and  we  threw  down  our 
game,  that  we  might  sooner  come  to  your  assistance 
if  you  required  it.     What  was  the  matter  ?" 

"  Only  that  I  have  killed  a  wolf,  and  am  not  al- 
lowed to  bring  in  my  trophy, "replied  Emma  :  "  come, 
Alfred,  I  may  go  with  you  and  Martin." 

They  went  to  the  spot,  and  found  the  wolf  was 
dead,  and  poor  Trim  dead  also  by  his  side.  They 
took  in  the  body  of  the  little  dog,  and  left  the  wolf 
till  the  morning,  when  Martin  said  he  would  skin  it 
for  Miss  Emma. 

"And  I'll  make  a  footstool  of  it,"  said  Emma; 
"  that  sliall  be  my  revenge  for  the  fright  I  had  from 
the  other  wolf.  Come,  Oscar,  good  dog  :  you  and  I 
will  go  wolf-hunting.  Dear  me,  who  would  have 
thought  that  I  should  have  ever  killed  a  wolf? — poor 
little  Trim !" 


THE   SETTLEKS.  153 

Martin  said  it  would  be  useless  to  return  for  the 
venison,  as  the  wolves  had  no  doubt  eaten  it  already  • 
so  they  locked  the  palisade-gate,  and  went  into  the 
house. 

Emma's  adventure  was  the  topic  of  the  evening 
and  Emma  herself  was  much  pleased  at  having  ac- 
complished such  a  feat. 

"Well,"  said  Martin,  "  I  never  knew  but  one  wo- 
man who  faced  a  wolf,  except  Miss  Emma." 

''And  who.  was  that,  Martin?"  said  Mrs.  Camp- 

"  It  was  a  wife  of  one  of  our  farmers,  ma'am  ;  she 
was  at  the  outhouse  doing  something,  when  she  per- 
ceived a  wolf  enter  the  cottage-door,  where  there 
was  nobody  except  the  baby  in  the  cradle.     She  ran 
back  and  found  the  wolf  just  lifting  the  infant  out  of 
the  cradle  by  its  clothes.     The  animal  looked  at  her 
with  his  eyes  flashing;  but,  having  its  mouth  full, 
it  did  not  choose  to  drop  the  baby,  and  spring  at  her  ; 
all  it  wanted  was  to  get  clear  off  with  its  prey.    The 
woman  had  presence  of  mind  enough  to  take  down 
her  husband's  rifle  and  point  it  at  the  wolf,  but  she 
was  so  fearful  of  hurting  the  child,  that  she  did  not 
put  the  muzzle  to  its  head,  but  to  its  shoulder.    She 
bred  just  as  the  wolf  was  making  off,  and  the  animal 
tell,  and  could  not  get  on  its  feet  again  ;  and  it  then 
dropped  the  child  out  of  its  mouth,  to  attack  the 
mother.     The  woman  caught  the  child  up,  but  the 
lyolf  gave  her  a  severe  bite  on  the  arm,  and  broke 
the  bone  near  the  wrist.     A  wolf  has  a  wonderful 
strong  jaw,  ma'am.     However,  the  baby  was  saved, 
and  neighbors  came  and  despatched  the  animal." 

"What  a  fearful  position  for  a  mother  to  be  in  '" 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"Where  did  that  happen?" 

"  On  the  White  mountains,  ma'am,"  replied  Mar- 
"n.  "  Malachi  Bone  told  me  the  story  :  he  was  born 
there." 

"  Then  he  is  an  American." 

"Well,  ma'am,  he  is  an  American  because  he 


154  THE    SETTLERS. 

was  born  in  this  country,  but  it  was  English  when 
he  was  born,  so  he  calls  himself  an  Englishman." 

"  I  understand,"  replied  Mrs  Campbell ;  "  he  was 
born  before  the  colonies  obtained  their  independence." 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  long  before  ;  there's  no  saying  how 
old  he  is.  When  I  was  quite  a  child,  I  recollect 
he  was  then  reckoned  an  old  man ;  indeed,  tbe  name 
the  Indians  gave  to  him  proves  it.  He  then  was 
called  the  '  Gray  Badger.'" 

"  But  is  he  so  very  old,  do  you  really  think,  Mar- 
tin ?" 

"  I  think  he  has  seen  more  than  sixty  snows, 
ma'am,  but  not  many  more  ;  the  fact  is,  his  hair  was 
gray  before  he  was  twenty  years  old  ;  he  told  me  so 
himself,  and  that's  one  reason  why  the  Indians  are 
so  fearful  of  him.  They  have  it  from  their  fathers 
that  the  Gray  Badger  was  a  great  hunter,  as  Mala- 
chi  was  more  than  forty  years  ago  ;  so  they  imagine 
as  his  hair  was  gray  then,  he  must  have  been  a  very 
old  man  at  that  time  back,  and  so  to  them  he  ap- 
pears to  live  for  ever,  and  they  consider  him  as 
charmed,  and,  to  use  their  phrase,  '  great  medicine.'' 
I've  heard  some  Indians  declare  that  Malachi  has 
seen  one  hundred  and  fifty  winters,  and  they  really 
believe  it.  I  never  contradicted  them,  as  you  may 
imagine." 

"  Does  he  live  comfortably  ?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  he  does  ;  his  squaw  knows  what 
he  wants,  and  does  what  she  is  bid.  She  is  very 
fond  of  the  old  man,  and  looks  upon  him,  as  he  re- 
ally is  to  her,  as  a  father.  His  lodge  is  always  full 
of  meat,  and  he  has  plenty  of  skins.  He  don't  drink 
spirits,  and  if  he  has  tobacco  for  smoking,  and  pow- 
der and  ball,  what  else  can  he  want  ?" 

"Happy  are  they  whose  wants  are  so  few,"  ob- 
served Mr.  Campbell.  "A  man  in  whatever  position 
in  life,  if  he  is  content,  is  certain  to  be  happy.  How 
true  are  the  words  of  the  poet : — 

'  Man  wants  but  little  here  below, 
Nor  wants  that  little  long  !' 


THE   SETTLERS.  155 

Malachi  Bone  is  a  happier  man  than  hundreds  in 
England  who  live  in  luxury.  Let  us  profit,  my  dear 
children,  by  his  example,  and  learn  to  be  content 
with  what  Heaven  has  bestowed  upon  us.  But  it  is 
time  to  retire.  The  wind  has  risen,  and  we  shall 
have  a  blustering  night.   Henry,  fetch  me  the  book." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Alfred  and  Martin  brought  in  the  wolf  which 
Emma  had  killed,  but  it  was  frozen  so  hard,  that 
they  could  not  skin  it.  Poor  little  Trim  was  also 
carried  in,  but  the  ground  was  too  hard  frozen  for 
them  to  bury  the  body,  so  they  put  it  into  the  snow 
until  the  spring,  when  a  thaw  would  take  place.  As 
for  the  wolf,  they  said  nothing  about  it,  but  they  re- 
mained up  when  the  rest  of  the  family  retired,  and 
after  the  wolf  had  been  some  time  before  the  fire, 
they  were  able  to  take  off  the  skin. 

On  the  following  morning  when  the  hunters  went 
out,  they  were  particularly  desired  to  shoot  a  wild 
turkey  if  they  could,  as  the  next  day  was  Christmas- 
day. 

"  Let  us  take  Oscar  with  us,"  said  Alfred  ;  "  he  is 
very  swift,  and  may  run  them  down  :  we  never  can 
get  up  with  them  in  our  snow-shoes." 

"I  wonder  whether  they  will  get  a  turkey,"  said 
Emma,  afier  the  hunting-party  had  left. 

"  I  think  it  will  be  difficult,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell ; 
"but  they  will  try  all  they  can." 

"I  hope  they  will ;  for  Christmas-day  without  a 
turkey  will  be  very  un-English." 

"  We  are  not  in  England,  my  dear  Emma,"  said 
Mr.  Campbell  ;  "  and  wild  turkeys  are  not  to  be  or- 
dered from  the  poulterers." 

"  I  know  that  we  are  not  in  England,  my  dear  un- 
cle, and  I  feel  it  too.    How  was  the  day  before  every 


156  THE   SETTLERS. 

Christmas-day  spent  at  Wexton  Hall  !  What  piles 
of  warm  blankets,  what  a  quantity  of  duffil  cloaks, 
flannels,  and  worsted  stockings,  were  we  all  so  husy 
and  so  happy  in  preparing  and  sorting  to  give  away 
on  the  following  morning,  that  all  within  miles  of  us 
should  be  warmly  clothed  on  that  day  !  And,  then, 
the  housekeeper's  room  with  all  the  joints  of  meat, 
and  flour,  and  plums,  and  suet,  in  proporiion  to  the 
number  of  each  family,  all  laid  out  and  ticketed 
ready  for  distribution.  And  then  the  party  invited 
to  the  servants'  hall,  and  the  great  dinner,  and  the 
new  clothing  for  the  school-girls,  and  the  church  so 
gay,  with  their  new  dresses  in  the  aisles,  and  the 
holly  and  the  misletoe.  I  know  we  are  not  in  Kng- 
land,  my  dear  uncle,  and  that  you  have  lost  one  of 
your  greatest  pleasures — that  of  doing  good,  and  ma- 
king all  happy  around  you." 

"  Well,  my  dear  Emma,  if  I  have  lost  the  pleasure 
of  doing  good,  it  is  the  will  of  Heaven  that  it  should 
be  so,  and  we  ought  to  be  thankful  that,  if  not  dis- 
pensing charity,  at  all  events,  we  are  not  the  objects 
of  charity  to  others;  that  we  are  independent,  and 
earning  an  honest  livelihood.  People  may  be  very 
happy,  and  feel  the  most  devout  gratitude,  on  the  an- 
niversary of  so  great  a  mercy,  without  having  a 
turkey  for  dinner." 

"  I  was  not  in  earnest  about  the  turkey,  my  dear 
uncle.  It  was  the  association  of  ideas  connected 
by  long  habit,  which  made  me  think  of  our  Christ- 
mas times  at  Wexton  Hal!  ;  but,  indeed,  my  dear 
uncle,  if  there  was  regret,  it  was  not  for  myself  so 
much  as  for  you,"  replied  Emma,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes. 

il  Perhaps  I  spoke  rather  loo  severely,  my  dearest 
Emma,"  said  Mr.  Campbell  ;  "  but  I  did  not  like  to 
hear  such  a  solemn  day  spoken  of  as  if  it  were  com- 
memorated merely  by  the  eating  of  certain  food." 

"  It  was  foolish  of  me,"  replied  Emma,  "  and  it 
was  said  thoughtlessly." 

Emma  went  up  to  Mr.  Campbell  and  kissed  him, 


THE    SETTLERS.  157 

and  Mr.  Campbell  said,  "Well,  I  hope  there  will  be 
a  turkey,  since  you  wish  for  one." 

The  hunters  did  not  return  till  late,  and  when  they 
appeared  in  sight,  Percival,  who  had  descried  them, 
came  in  and  said  that  they  were  very  well  loaded, 
and  Avere  bringing  in  their  game  slung  upon  a  pole! 
Mary  and  Emma  went  out  of  the  door  to  meet 
their  cousins.  That  there  was  a  heavy  load  carried 
on  a  pole  between  Martin  and  Alfred  was  certain, 
but  they  could  not  distinguish  what  it  consisted  of. 
As  the  party  arrived  at  the  palisade  gates,  however, 
they  discovered  that  it  was  not  game,  but  a  human 
being,  who  was  carried  on  a  sort  of  litter  made  of 
boughs. 

"  What  is  it,  Alfred  ?"  said  Mary. 
"  Wait,  till  I  recover  mv  breath,"  said  Alfred,  as 
he  reached  the  door,  "or  ask  Henry,  for  I'm  quite 
knocked  up." 

Henry  then  went  with  his  cousins  into  the  house, 
and  explained  to  them  that  as  they  were  in  pursuit 
of  the  wild  turkeys,  Oscar  had  stopped  suddenly  and 
commenced  baying;  that  they  went  up  to  the  dog, 
and,  in  a  bush,  they  found  a  poor  Indian  woman 
nearly  frozen  to  death,  and  with  a  dislocation  of  the 
ankle,  so  severe  that  her  leg  was  terribly  swelled, 
and  she  could  not  move.  Martin  had  spoken  to  her 
in  the  Indian  tongue,  and  she  was  so  exhausted  with 
cold  and  hunger,  that  she  could  just  tell  him  that 
she  belonged  to  a  small  party  of  Indians  who  had 
been  some  days  out  hunting,  and  a  long  way  from 
where  they  had  built  their  winter  lodges  ;  that  she 
had  fallen  with  the  weight  which  she  had  to  carry 
and  that  her  leg  was  so  bad,  she  could  not  go  on 
with  them  ;  that  they  had  taken  her  burden,  and 
left  her  to  follow  them  when  she  could. 

"Yes,"  continued  Alfred  ;  "  left  the  poor  creature 
without  food,  to  perish  in  the  snow.  One  day  more, 
and  it  would  have  been  all  over  with  her.  It  is 
wonderful  how  she  can  have  lived  through  the  two 
last  nights  as  she  has.  But  Martin  says  the  Indiana 
Vol.  I. — 14 


158  THE    SETTLERS. 

always  do  leave  a  woman  to  perish  in  this  way  or 
recover  as  she  can,  if  she  happens  to  meet  with  an 
accident." 

"At  all  events,  let  us  bring  her  in  at  once,"  said 
Mr.  Campbell.  "  I  will  first  see  if  my  surgical  as- 
sistance can  be  of  use,  and  after  that  we  will  do 
what  we  can  for  her.  How  far  from  this  did  you 
find  her?" 

"  About  eight  miles,"  replied  Henry  ;  "  and  Alfred 
has  carried  her  almost  the  whole  way  ;  Martin  and 
I  have  relieved  each  other,  except  once,  when  I 
took  Alfred's  place." 

"  And  so  you  perceive,  Emma,  instead  of  a  wild 
turkey,  I  have  brought  an  Indian  squaw,"  said  Al- 
fred. 

"  I  love  you  better  for  your  kindness,  Alfred,  re- 
plied Emma, "  than  if  you  had  brought  me  a  wagon- 
load  of  turkeys." 

In  the  meantime  Martin  and  Henry  brought  in  the 
poor  Indian,  and  laid  her  down  on  the  floor  at  some 
distance  from  the  fire,  for  though  she  was  nearly 
dead  with  the  cold,  too  sudden  an  exposure  to  heat 
would  have  been  almost  equally  fatal.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell examined  her  ankle,  and  with  a  little  assistance 
reduced  the  dislocation.  He  then  bound  up  her  leg, 
and  bathed  it  with  warm  vinegar,  as  a  first  applica- 
tion. Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  two  girls  chafed  the 
poor  creature's  limbs  till  the  circulation  was  a  little 
restored,  and  then  they  gave  her  something  warm 
to  drink.  It  was  proposed  by  Mrs.  Campbell  that 
they  should  make  up  a  bed  for  her  on  the  floor  of  the 
kitchen.  This  was  done  in  a  corner  near  to  the  fire- 
place, and  in  about  an  hour  their  patient  fell  into  a 
sound  sleep. 

"  It  is  lucky  for  her  that  she  did  not  fall  into  that 
sleep  before  we  found  her,"  said  Martin;  "she 
would  never  have  awoke  again." 

"  .Most  certainly  not,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell, 
"Have  you  any  idea  what  tribe  she  is  of,  Martin  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  she  is  one  of  the  Chippeways  ;  there 


THE   SETTLERS.  159 

are  many  divisions  of  them,  but  I  will  find  out 
when  she  wakes  again  to  which  she  belongs ;  she 
was  too  much  exhausted  when  we  found  her,  to  say 
much." 

"It  appears  very  inhuman  leaving  her  to  perish 
in  that  way,"  observed  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  Well,  ma'am,  so  it  does ;  but  necessity  has  no 
law.  The  Indians  could  not,  if  they  would,  have 
carried  her,  perhaps,  one  hundred  miles.  It  would 
have,  probably,  been  the  occasion  of  more  deaths, 
for  the  cold  is  too  great  now  for  sleeping  out  at 
nightsfor  any  time,  although  they  do  contrive  with 
the  help  of  a  large  fire  to  stay  out  sometimes." 

"  Self-preservation  is  the  first  law  of  nature,  cer- 
tainly," observed  Mr.  Campbell  ;  "but,  if  I  recollect 
right,  the  savages  do  not  value  the  life  of  a  woman 
very  highly." 

"  That's  a  fact,  sir,"  replied  Martin  ;  "  not  much 
more,  I  reckon,  than  you  would  a  beast  of  burden." 

"  It  is  always  the  case  among  savage  nations," 
observed  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  the  first  mark  of  civili- 
zation is  the  treatment  of  the  other  sex,  and  in  pro- 
portion as  civilization  increases,  so  are  the  women 
protected  and  well  used.  But  your  supper  is  ready, 
my  children,  and  I  think  after  your  fatigue  and  fast- 
ing you  must  require  it." 

"I  am  almost  too  tired  to  eat,"  observed  Alfred. 
"  I  shall  infinitely  more  enjoy  a  good  sleep  under  my 
bear-skins.  At  the  same  time  I'll  try  what  I  can 
do,"  continued  he,  laughing,  and  taking  his  seat  at 
table. 

Notwithstanding  Alfred's  observation,  he  con- 
trived to  make  a  very  hearty  supper,  and  Emma 
laughed  at  his  appetite  after  his  professing  that  he 
had  so  little  inclination  to  eat. 

«'  I  said  I  was  too  tired  to  eat,  Emma,  and  so  I  felt 
at  the  time  ;  but  as  I  became  more  refreshed  my 
appetite  returned,"  replied  Alfred,  laughing,  "and 
notwithstanding  your  jeering  me,  I  mean  to  eat  some 
more." 


160  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  How  long  has  John  been  away  ?"  said  Mr. 
Campbell. 

"  Now  nearly  a  fortnight,"  observed  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell ;  "  he  promised  to  come  here  on  Christmas-day. 
I  suppose  we  shall  see  him  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Yes,  ma'am  :  and  old  Bone  will  come  with  him, 
I  dare  say.  He  said  as  much  to  me  when  he  was 
going  away  the  last  time.  He  observed  that  the 
boy  could  not  bring  the  venison,  and  perhaps  he 
would  if  he  had  any,  for  he  knows  that  people  like 
plenty  of  meat  on  Christmas-day." 

"I  wonder  whether  old  Malachi  is  any  way  re- 
ligious," observed  Mary.  "  Do  you  think  he  is, 
Martin  ?" 

"Yes,  ma'am  ;  I  think  he  feels  it,  but  does  not 
show  it.  I  know  from  myself  what  are,  probably, 
his  feelings  on  the  subject.  When  I  have  been 
away  for  weeks  and  sometimes  for  months,  without 
seeing  or  speaking  to  any  one,  all  alone  in  the 
woods,  I  feel  more  religious  than  I  do  when  at  Que- 
bec on  my  return,  although  I  do  go  to  church.  Now 
old  Malachi  has,  I  think,  a  solemn  reverence  for  the 
Divine  P>ein£,  and  strict  notions  of  duty,  so  far  as  he 
understands  it — but  as  he  never  goes  to  any  town  or 
mixes  with  any  company,  so  the  rites  of  religion,  as 
I  may  call  them,  and  the  observances  of  the  holy 
feasts,  are  lost  to  him,  except  as  a  sort  of  dream  of 
former  days,  before  he  took  to  his  hunter's  life.  In- 
deed, he  seldom  knows  what  day  or  even  what 
month  it  is.  He  knows  the  seasons  as  they  come 
and  go,  and  that's  all.  One  day  is  the  same  as 
another,  and  he  can  not  tell  which  is  Sunday,  for  he 
is  not  able  to  keep  a  reckoning.  Now,  ma'am,  when 
you  desired  Master  John  to  be  at  home  on  the  Friday 
fortnight  because  it  was  Christmas-day,  I  perceived 
old  Malachi  in  deep  thought:  he  was  recalling  to 
mind  what  Christmas-day  was;  if  you  had  not 
mentioned  it,  the  day  would  have  passed  away  like 
any  other  ;  but  you  reminded  him,  and  then  it  wa9 
that  he  said  he  would  come  if  he  could.     I'm  sure 


THE    SETTLERS  161 

that  now  he  knows  it  is  Christmas-day,  he  intends  to 
keep  it  as  such." 

"There  is  much  truth  in  what  Martin  says,"  ob- 
served Mr.  Campbell ;  "  we  require  the  seventh  day 
in  the  week  and  other  stated  seasons  of  devotion  to 
be  regularly  set  apart,  in  order  to  keep  us  in  mind 
of  our  duties  and  preserve  the  life  of  religion.  In 
the  woods,  remote  from  communion  with  other 
Christians,  these  things  are  easily  forgotten,  and 
when  once  we  have  lost  our  calculation,  it  is  not  to 
be  recovered.  But  come,  Alfred,  and  Henry,  and 
Martin  must  be  very  tired,  and  we  had  better  all  go 
to  bed.  1  will  sit  up  a  little  while  to  give  some 
drink  to  my  patient,  if  she  wishes  it.  Good  night, 
my  children." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Christmas-day  was  indeed  a  change,  as  Emma 
had  observed,  from  their  former  Christmas;  but  al- 
though the  frost  was  more  than  usually  severe,  and 
the  snow  filled  the  air  with  its  white  flakes,  and  the 
northeast  wind  howled  through  the  leafless  trees  as 
they  rasped  their  long  arms  against  each  other,  and 
the  lake  was  one  sheet  of  thick  ice,  with  a  covering 
of  snow  which  the  wind  had  in  different  places 
blown  up  iuto  hillocks,  still  they  had  a  good  roof 
over  their  heads,  and  a  warm,  blazing  fire  on  the 
hearth  :  and  they  had  no  domestic  miseries,  the 
worst  miseries  of  all  to  contend  against,  for  they 
were  a  united  family,  loving  and  beloved;  showing 
mutual  acts  of  kindness  and  mutual  acts  of  forbear- 
ance ;  proving  how  much  better  was  "a  dish  of 
herbs  where  love  is,  than  the  stalled  ox  with  hatred 
therewith."  Moreover,  they  were  all  piously  dis- 
posed ;  they  were  sensible  that  they  owed  a  large 
debt  of  gratitude  to  Heaven  for  all  its  daily  mercies 
in  providing  them  with  food  and  raiment,  for  ward- 

14* 


162  THE   SETTLERS. 

mg  off  from  them  sickness  and  sorrow,  and  giving 
them  humble  and  contented  hearts  ;  and  on  this  day, 
they  felt  how  little  were  all  worldly  considerations, 
compared  with  the  hopes  which  were  held  out  to 
them  through  the  great  sacrifice  which  the  goodness 
and  mercy  of  God  had  made  for  them  and  all  the 
world.  It  was  therefore  with  cheerful  yet  subdued 
looks  that  they  greeted  each  other  when  they  met 
previous  to  the  morning  prayers. 

Mr.  Campbell  had  already  visited  his  patient  and 
readjusted  the  bandage :  her  ankle  was  better,  but 
still  very  much  swelled  ;  the  poor  creature  made  no 
complaints,  she  looked  grateful  for  what  was  done 
and  for  the  kindness  shown  to  her.  They  were  all 
arrayed  in  their  best  Sunday  dresses,  and  as  soon  as 
prayers  were  over,  had  just  wished  each  other  the 
congratulations  so  general,  so  appropriate,  and  yet 
too  often  so  thoughtlessly  given  upon  the  anniversa- 
ry, when  Malachi  Bone,  his  little  squaw  the  Straw- 
berry, and  John,  entered  the  door  of  the  hut,  laden 
with  the  sports  of  the  forest,  which  they  laid  down 
in  the  corner  of  the  kitchen,  and  then  saluted  the 
party. 

"  Here  we  are  all  together  on  Christmas-day," 
said  Emma,  who  had  taken  the  hand  of  the  Straw- 
berry. 

The  Indian  girl  smiled,  and  nodded  her  head. 

"And,  John,  you  have  brought  us  three  wild  tur- 
keys ;  you  are  a  good  boy,  John,"  continued  Emma. 

"  If  we  only  had  Captain  Sinclair  here  now,"  said 
Martin  to  Emma  and  Mary  Percival,  who  was  by 
Emma's  side,  shaking  hands  with  the  Strawberry. 

Mary  colored  up  a  little,  and  Emma  replied,  "  Yes, 
Martin,  we  do  want  him,  for  I  always  feel  as  if  he 
belonged  to  the  family." 

"  Well,  it's  not  his  fault  that  he's  not  here,"  re- 
plied Martin  ;  '•  it's  now  more  than  six  weeks  since 
!:<:  has  left,  and  if  the  colonel  would  allow  him,  I'm 
sure  that  Captain  Sinclair " 

"  Would  be  here  on  this  day,"  said  Captain  Sin- 


THE    SETTLERS.  163 

clair,  who  with  Mr.  Gwynne,  his  former  companion, 
had  entered  the  door  of  the  house  without  being 
observed  ;  for  the  rest  of  the  party  were  in  conver- 
sation with  Malachi  Bone  and  John. 

"  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you,"  cried  Emma  ; 
"  we  only  wanted  you  to  make  our  Christmas  party 
complete  ;  and  I'm  very  glad  to  see  you  too,  Mr. 
Gwynne,"  continued  Emma,  as  she  held  out  a  hand 
to  each. 

"  We  had  some  difficulty  in  persuading  the  colonel 
to  let  us  come,"  observed  Captain  Sinclair  to  Mary  ; 
"but  as  we  have  heard  nothing  further  about  the 
Indians,  he  consented." 

"  You  have  nothing  more  to  fear  from  the  Indians 
this  winter,  captain,  and  you  may  tell  the  colonel  so 
from  me,"  said  Malachi.  "I  happened  to  be  on 
their  hunting  ground  yesterday,  and  they  have  broken 
up  and  gone  westward,  that  is,  Angry  Snake  and  his 
party  have  ;  I  followed  their  track  over  the  snow  for 
a  few  miles  just  to  make  sure  ;  they  have  taken  every- 
thing with  them,  but  somehow  or  other,  I  could  not 
find  out  that  the  squaw  was  with  them — and  they 
had  one  in  their  party.  They  carried  their  own 
packs  of  fur,  that  I'll  swear  to,  and  they  had  been 
thrown  down  several  times  ;  which  would  not  have 
been  the  case,  if  they  had  not  been  carried  by  men  ; 
for  you  see,  the  Ingun  is  very  impatient  under  a  load, 
which  a  squaw  will  carry  the  whole  day  without 
complaining.  Now  that  party  is  gone,  there  is  no 
other  about  here  within  fifty  miles,  I'll  be  bound  for." 

"I'm  very  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,"  replied  Cap- 
tain Sinclair. 

"  Then,  perhaps,  this  poor  woman  whom  you  suc- 
cored, Alfred,  is  the  squaw  belonging  to  the  party," 
observed  Mr.  Campbell.  Mr.  Campbell  then  related 
to  Malachi  Bone  what  had  occurred  on  the  day 
before  ;  how  the  hunting  party  had  brought  home 
tiic  woman,  whom  he  pointed  to  in  the  corner,  where 
she  had  remained  unnoticed  by  the  visiters. 

Malachi  and  the  Strawberry  went  up  to  her ;  the 


164  THE    SETTLERS. 

Strawberry  spoke  to  her  in  the  Indian  tongue  in  a 
low  voice,  and  the  woman  replied  in  the  same, 
while  Malachi  stood  over  them  and  listened. 

"It's  just  as  you  thought,  sir  ;  she  belongs  to  the 
Angry  Snake,  and  she  says  that  he  has  gone  with 
his  parly  to  the  westward,  as  the  beaver  were  very 
scarce  down  here  ;  I  could  have  told  him  that.  She 
confirms  my  statement,  that  all  the  Indians  are  gone, 
but  are  to  meet  at  the  same  place  in  the  spring,  to 
hold  a  council." 

"  Is  she  of  the  same  tribe  as  the  Strawberry  ?"  in- 
quired Henry. 

"  That's  as  may  be,"  replied  Malachi ;  "I  hardly 
know  which  tribe  the  Strawberry  belongs  to." 

"  But  they  speak  the  same  language." 

"  Yes  ;  but  the  Strawberry  learnt  the  tongue  from 
me,"  replied  Malachi. 

"  From  you,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell ;  how  was  that  ?" 

"  Why,  ma'am,  it's  about  thirteen  or  fourteen 
years  back,  that  I  happened  to  come  in  upon  a  skir- 
mish which  took  place  on  one  of  the  small  lakes 
between  one  of  the  tribes  here  and  a  war  party  of 
Hurons  who  were  out.  They  were  surprised  by  the 
Hurons,  and  every  soul,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  was 
either  scalped  or  carried  away  prisoner.  The  Hurons 
had  gone  about  an  hour  or  two,  when  I  came  up  to 
the  place  where  they  fought,  and  I  sat  down  looking 
at  the  dead  bodies,  and  thinking  to  myself  what 
creatures  men  were  to  deface  God's  image  in  that 
way,  when  I  saw  under  a  bush  two  little  sharp  eyes 
looking  at  me  ;  at  first,  I  thought  it  was  some  beast, 
a  lynx,  mayhap,  as  they  now  call  them,  and  1  pointed 
my  rifle  toward  it ;  but  before  I  pulled  the  trigger, 
I  thought  that  perhaps  I  might  be  mistaken,  so  I 
walked  up  to  the  bush,  and  there  I  discovered  that 
it  was  an  Indian  child,  which  had  escap'.l  the  mas- 
sacre by  hiding  itself  in  the  bush.  I  pulled  it  out ; 
it  was  a  girl  about  two  years  old,  who  could  speak 
but  a  few  words.  I  took  her  home  to  my  lodge,  and 
have  had  her  with  me  ever  since,  sol  don't  exactly 


THE   SETTLERS.  165 

know  what  tribe  she  belongs  to,  as  they  all  speak 
the  same  tongue.  I  callsd  her  "  the  Strawberry," 
because  I  found  her  under  a  bush  close  to  the  ground, 
and  among  strawberry  plants  which  were  growing 
there." 

"  And  then  you  married  her,"  said  Percival. 

"Married  her!  no,  boy,  I  never  married  her; 
what  has  an  old  man  of  near  seventy  to  do  with 
marrying.  They  call  her  my  squaw,  because  they 
suppose  "she  is  my  wife,  and  she  does  the  duty  of  a 
wife  to  me  ;  but  if  they  were  to  call  her  my  daugh- 
ter, they  would  be  nearer  the  mark,  for  I  have  been 
a  father  to  her." 

"Well,  Malachi,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  did  think 
that  she  was  too  young  to  be  your  wife,"  said  Emma. 

"  Well,  miss,  you  are  not  far  wrong,"  replied  the 
old  man.  "  I  do  wish  I  could  find  out  her  tribe,  but  I 
never  have  been  able,  and  indeed,  from  what  I  can 
learn,  the  party  who  were  surprised  came  a  long 
way  from  this,  although  speaking  the  same  language  ; 
and  I  don't  think  there  is  any  chance  now,  for  even 
if  I  were  to  tvy  to  discover  it,  there  have  been  so 
many  surprises  and  so  much  slaughter  within  these 
last  twenty  years,  that  it's  scarcely  possible  the 
search  would  be  attended  with  success." 

"  But  why  do  you  wish  to  find  out  her  tribe  ?" 
said  Mary. 

"  Because  I'm  an  old  man,  miss,  and  must  soon 
expect  to  be  gathered  to  my  fathers,  and  then  this 
poor  little  girl  will  be  quite  alone,  unless  I  can  marry 
her  to  some  one  before  I  die ;  and  if  I  do  marry  her, 
why  then  she  will  leave  me  alone ;  but  that  can't  be 
helped,  I'm  an  old  man,  and  what  does  it  matter." 

"  It  matters  a  great  deal,  Malachi,"  said  Mr. 
Campbell ;  "  I  wish  you  would  live  with  us ;  you 
would  then  be  taken  care  of  if  you  required  it,  and 
not  die  alone  in  the  wilderness." 

"  And  the  Strawberry  shall  never  want  friends  or 
a  home,  while  we  can  offer  her  one,  Malachi,"  said 
Mrs.  Campbell ;  "  let  what  will  happen  to  you,  she 


166  THE   SETTLERS. 

will  be  welcome  to  live  here  and  die  here,  if  she 
will  remain." 

Malachi  made  no  reply  ;  he  was  in  deep  thought, 
resting  his  chin  upon  his  hands  which  held  his  rifle 
before  him.  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  girls  were 
obliged  to  leave  to  prepare  the  dinner.  John  had  sat 
down  with  the  Strawberry  and  the  Indian  woman, 
and  was  listening  to  them,  for  he  now  understood 
the  Chippeway  tongue.  Alfred,  Sinclair,  and  the 
other  gentlemen  of  the  party,  were  in  conversation 
near  the  Are,  when  they  were  requested  by  Mrs. 
Campbell  to  retreat  to  the  sitting-room,  that  the  cul- 
inary operations  might  not  be  interfered  with.  Mal- 
achi Bone  still  continued  sitting  where  he  was,  in 
deep  thought.  Martin,  who  remained,  said  to  the 
Miss  Percivals  in  a  low  voice — 

"  Well,  I  really  did  think  that  the  old  man  had 
married  the  girl,  and  I  thought  it  was  a  pity,"  con- 
tinued he,  looking  toward  the  Strawberry,  "  for  she 
is  very  young  and  very  handsome  for  a  squaw." 

"  I  think,"  replied  Mary  Percival,  "she  would  be 
considered  handsome  everywhere,  Martin,  squaw  or 
not ;  her  features  are  very  pretty,  and  then  she  has  a 
melancholy  smile,  which  is  perfectly  beautiful  ;  but 
now,  Martin,  pluck  these  turkeys,  or  wc  shall  not 
have  them  ready  in  time." 

As  soon  as  the  dinner  was  at  the  fire,  and  could  be 
left  to  the  care  of  Martin,  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the 
Misses  Percival  went  into  the  sitting  room.  Mr. 
Campbell  then  read  the  morning  service  of  the  day, 
Henry  officiating  as  clerk  in  the  responses.  Old 
Malachi  had  joined  the  party,  and  was  profoundly  at- 
tentive.    As  soon  as  the  service  was  over,  he  said — 

"All  this  puts  me  in  mind  of  days  long  past,  days 
which  appear  to  me  as  a  dream,  when  I  was  a  lad 
and  had  a  father  and  a  mother,  and  brothers  and 
sisters  around  me  ;  but  many  summers  and  many 
winters  have  passed  over  my  head  since  then." 

"  You  were  born  in  Maine,  Malachi,  were  you 
not  ?" 


THE    SETTLERS.  107 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  half  way  up  the  White  mountains. 
He  was  a  stern  old  man,  my  father  ;  but  he  was  a 
righteous  man.  I  remember  how  holy  Sunday  was 
kepi  in  our  family  ;  how  my  mother  cleaned  us  all, 
and  put  on  our  best  clothes,  and  how  we  went  to  the 
chapel  or  church,  I  forget  wAich  they  called  it ;  but 
no  matter,  we  went  to  pray." 

"  Was  your  father  of  the  established  church,  Mai- 
achi?" 

"  I  can't  tell,  ma'arn  ;  indeed  1  hardly  know  what 
it  means ;  but  he  was  a  good  Christian  and  a  good 
man,  that  I  do  know." 

"  You  are  right,  Malachi  ;  when  the  population  is 
crowded,  you  find  people  divided    into   sects,  and, 
what   is  still  worse,  despising,  if  not  haling  each 
other,  because  the  outward  forms  of  worship  are  a 
little  different.     Here   in  our  isolated  position,   we 
feel  how  trifling  are  many  of  the  distinctions  which 
divide   religious   communities,   and    that  we  could 
gladly  give  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  any  de- 
nomination of  Christians  who  hold  the  main  truths 
of  the  gospel.     Are  not  all  such  agreed  in  things 
essential,  animated  with  the  same  hopes,  acknowl- 
edging the  same  rule  of  faith,  and  all  comprehended 
in  the  same  divine  mercy  which  was  shown  us  on 
this  day  ?     What  do   all  sincere  Christians  believe 
but  that  God  is  holy,  great,  good,  and  merciful,  that 
his  Son  died  for  us  all,  and  that  through  his  merits 
and  intercession,  if  we  conform  to  his  precepts — 
whether  members  of  the  church  of  England,  or  any 
other  communion— we  shall  be  saved  and  obtain  the 
blessedness  of  heaven  ?     We  may  prefer,  and  reason- 
ably prefer,  our  own  mode  of  worship,  believing  it 
to  be  most  edifying  ;  but  we  have  no  right  to  quarrel 
with  those  who  conscientiously  differ  from  us  about 
outward  forms  and  ceremonies  which  do  not  involve 
the  spirit  of  Christianity." 

After  a  pause,  Mary  Percival  said,  "  Malachi,  tell 
us  more  about  your  father  and  your  family." 

"  I  have  little  to  tell,  miss ;  only  that  fnow  think 


168  THE   SETTLERS. 

that  those  were  pleasant  days  which  then  I  thought 
irksome.  My  father  had  a  large  farm  and  would 
have  had  us  all  remain  with  him.  In  the  winter  we 
felled  timber,  and  I  took  quite  a  passion  for  a  hunt- 
er's life;  but  my  father  would  not  allow  me  to  go 
from  home,  so  I  stayed  till  he  died,  and  then  I  went 
away  on  my  rambles.  I  left  when  I  was  not  twen- 
ty years  old,  and  I  have  never  seen  my  family 
since.  I  have  been  a  hunter  and  a  trapper,  a  guide 
and  a  soldier,  and  an  interpreter;  but  for  these  last 
twenty-five  years  I  have  been  away  from  towns  and 
cities,  and  have  lived  altogether  in  the  woods.  The 
more  man  lives  by  himself,  the  more  he  likes  it,  and 
yet  now  and  then  circumstances  bring  up  the  days  of 
his  youth,  and  make  him  hesitate  whether  it  be  best 
or  not  to  live  alone." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,  Malachi,"  said 
Mr.  Campbell. 

"  I  little  thought  that  I  should  ever  have  said  it," 
replied  the  old  man,  "  when  I  first  saw  that  girl  by 
the  side  of  the  stream  (looking  at  Emma) — then  my 
heart  yearned  toward  the  boy  ;  and  now  this  meet- 
ing to  praise  God  and  to  keep  Christmas  day — all  has 
helped." 

"  But  do  you  not  pray  when  you  are  alone  ?"  said 
Mary. 

"Yes,  in  a  manner,  miss;  but  it's  not  like  your 
prayers;  the  lips  don't  move,  although  the  heart 
feels.  When  I  lie  under  a  tree  watching  for  the 
animals,  and  I  take  up  a  leaf  and  examine  it,  how 
curious  and  wonderful  it  is — I  then  think  that  God 
made  it,  and  that  man  could  not.  When  I  see  the 
young  grass  springing  up,  and  how,  I  know  not, 
except  that  it  does  so  every  year,  I  think  of  God  and 
his  mercy  to  the  wild  animals  in  giving  them  food  ; 
and  then  the  sun  reminds  me  of  God  ;  and  the  moon, 
and  the  stars,  as  I  watch,  make  me  think  of  him  ; 
but  I  feel  very  ofien  that  there  is  something  wanting, 
and  that  I  do  not  worship  exactly  as  I  ought  to  do. 
I  never  have  known  which  is  Sunday,  although  I 


THE    SETTLERS.  169 

well  recollected  how  holy  it  was  kept  at  my  father's 
house  ;  and  I  never  should  have  known  that  this  was 
Christmas  day,  had  it  not  been  that  I  had  met  with 
you.  All  days  are  alike  to  a  man  that  is  alone  and 
in  the  wilderness,  and  that  should  not  be — I  feel  that 
it  should  not." 

"So  true  is  it,"  observed  Mr.  Campbell,  "that 
stated  times  and  seasons  are  necessary  for  the  due 
observance  of  our  religious  duties  ;  and  I  am  glad  to 
hear  Malachi  say  this,  as  I  trust  it  will  occasion  his 
beinor  with  us  more  than  he  has  been." 

"  Come  to  us  every  Sunday,  Malachi,"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell. 

"I  think  I  will,  ma'am,  if  I  can— indeed,  why  I 
say  if  I  can,  I  know  not ;  it  was  wrong  to  say  so." 

"  I  wish  you  to  come  not  only  on  your  own  account, 
but  for  John's  sake  ;  suppose  you  agree  to  come 
every  Sunday  morning,  and  leave  us  every  Monday  ? 
You  will  then  have  the  whole  week  for  your  hunt- 
ing." 

"  Please  God,  I  will,"  replied  Malachi. 

"And  bring  the  Strawberry  with  you,"  said  Mary. 

"  I  will,  miss ;  it  can  not  but  do  her  good." 

Dinner  was  now  announced,  and  they  all  sat  down  ; 
a  happy  party.  Mr.  Campbell  on  this  occasion  pro- 
duced two  or  three  bottles  of  his  small  store  of  wine, 
which  he  kept  rather  in  case  of  illness  than  for  any 
other  reason,  for  they  had  all  been  so  long  without 
wine  or  spirits,  that  "they  cared  little  about  it.  Their 
dinner  consisted  of  white  fish  (salted),  roast  venison, 
boiled  salt  beef,  roast  turkey,  and  a  plum-pudding, 
and  they  were  all  very  merry,  although  they  were  in 
the  woods  of  Canada,  and  not  at  Wexton  Hall. 

"My  children,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  after  dinner, 
"I  now  drink  all  your  healths,  and  wish  you  as  much 
happiness  as  the  world  affords,  and  at  the  same  time 
accept  my  most  hearty  thanks  and  my  dearest  love. 
You  have  all  been  good,  obedient,  and  cheerful,  and 
have  lightened  many  a  heavy  load.  Tf  when  it 
pleased  Providence  to  send  us  into  this  wilderness,  it 
Vol.  I.— 15 


170  THE   SETTLERS. 

had  been  part  of  my  lot  to  contend  with  "wilful  and 
disobedient  children;  if  there  had  been  murmuring 
and  repining  at  our  trials;  discontent  and  quarreling 
among  yourselves,  how  much  more  painful  would 
have  been  our  situation.  On  the  contrary,  by  your 
good  humor  and  attention,  your  willing  submission 
to  privations,  and  your  affectionate  conduct  toward 
me,  my  wife,  and  each  other,  you  have  not  allowed 
us  to  feel  the  change  of  position  to  Avhich  we  have 
been  reduced.  I  say  again,  my  dear  children  all, 
you  have  my  thanks,  and  may  the  Almighty  blesa 
and  preserve  you !" 


ssr»  o;  roa»  h 


THE 


SETTLERS  IN  CANADA. 


WRITTEN  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


FV 


CAPTAIN  MARRY  AT. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOL.  II. 


NEW-YORK: 
D.APPLETOS  &  CO.,  346  &  :J48  BROADWAY 

tS.DOCO.LVL 


THE    SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Whkn  we  left  off  our  narrative,  our  Canadian  set* 
tiers  were  enjoying  themselves  on  Christmas-day. 
On  the  following  morning,  Malachi  Bone,  the  Straw- 
berry, and  Jc  Jin,  set  off  for  their  abode  to  the  west- 
ward, and  Captain  Sinclair  and  his  companion  went 
back  to  the  fort.  The  Indian  woman  was  better, 
and  the  family  resumed  their  usual  occupations. 
We  must  now  briefly  narrate  a  few  events  which 
occurred  during  the  remainder  of  the  long  winter. 
Malachi  and  John  made  their  appearance  accompa- 
nied by  the  Strawberry  almost  every  Sunday,  and 
the  old  hunter  appeared  gradually  to  become  more 
reconciled  to  the  society  of  others,  and  sometimes 
would  remain  for  a  day  or  two  over  the  Sunday. 
The  Indian  woman  in  the  course  of  three  weeks 
was  quite  recovered,  and  signified,  through  the 
Strawberry,  her  wish  to  leave,  and  join  her  tribe. 
To  this,  of  course,  no  objection  was  raised;  and  hav- 
ing received  a  supply  of  provisions,  she  took  her 
leave  at  (lie  latter  end  of  the  montli  of  January. 

February,  March,  followed,  and  the  winter  still 
continued,  but  the  sun  became  more  powerful,  and 
the  weather  was  not  so  severe.     It  was  not  till  the 

1* 


6  THE   SETTLERS. 

middle  of  April  that  the  lake  was  clear  of  ice  and  the 
thaw  commenced,  and  then  it  was  so  rapid,  that  the 
little  stream  became  quite  an  impetuous  torrent,  and 
a  large  portion  of  the  prairie  land  was  under  water. 
A  few  days,  however,  sufficed  to  change  the  scene ; 
the  snow  which  had  covered  the  ground  for  so  many 
months  had  all  disappeared  ;  the  birds  which  had 
been  mute  or  had  migrated  during  the  winter,  now 
made  their  appearance,  and  chirped  and  twittered 
round  the  house ;  the  pleasant  green  of  the  prairie 
was  once  more  presented  to  their  view,  and  Nature 
began  to  smile  again.  Other  ten  days  passed,  and 
the  trees  had  thrown  out  their  leaves,  and  after  one 
or  two  storms,  the  weather  became  warm  and  the 
sky  serene. 

Great  was  the  delight  of  the  whole  party  at  this 
change ;  and  now  the  cows  were  put  out  to  their 
pasture,  and  Emma  and  Mary  went  milking  as  be- 
fore, no  longer  afraid  of  meeting  with  the  wolves. 
The  boat  was  launched,  and  Percival  and  John  went 
out  to  procure  fish.  Alfred,  Henry,  and  Martin, 
were  very  busy  picking  up  the  cleared  ground,  to 
sow  the  first  crop.  Mr.  Campbell  worked  all  day  in 
the  garden  ;  the  poultry  were  noisy  and  bustling,  and 
soon  furnished  an  abundant  supply  of  eggs  ;  and  as 
now  the  hunting  season  was  over  for  a  time,  Mala- 
chi  and  the  Strawberry  were  continually  coming  to 
visit  them, 

"  Oh !  how  delightful  this  is,"  exclaimed  Emma 
as  she  stopped  at  the  bridge  and  looked  on  the  wide 
blue  lake ;  "  is  it  not,  Mary,  after  having  been  cooped 
u j)  for  so  many  dreary  months  ?" 

"  It  is,  indeed,  Emma  ;  I  do  not  wonder  at  your 
flow  of  spirits;  I  feel  quite  another  person  myself. 
Well,  if  the  winter  is  long  and  dreary,  at  all  events, 
it  doubly  enhances  the  value  of  the  spring." 

"I  think  it's  very  odd  that  Captain  Sinclair  has 
not  come  to  see  us  ;  don't  you,  Mary  ?" 

"  I  certainly  did  expect  him  before  this,"  replied 


THE   SETTLERS.  7 

Mary  ;  "  I  presume,  however,  his  duty  will  not  pir- 
mit  him  to  come." 

"  Surely  he  could  get  leave  now  that  the  weather 
vs  fine  :  there  was  some  reason  for  his  not  coming 
<Jurin2r  the  winter.     I  hope  he  is  not  ill." 

"  I  hope  so  too,  most  sincerely,  Emma,"  replied 
Mary  ;  "  but  come,  sister,  we  must  not  loiter  ;  hear 
how  the  calves  are  bleating  for  us  to  let  them  have 
their  breakfasts  ;  we  shall  have  more  of  them  very 
soon;  yes,  and  plenty  of  milk,  and  then  we  shall 
have  plenty  of  churning  ;  but  I  like  work  when  the 
weather  is  fine." 

After  breakfast,  Emma  expressed  her  surprise  to 
Alfred  at  Captain  Sinclair's  not  having  made  his  ap- 
pearance, and  her  fear  that  he  was  not  well.  Alfred, 
at  her  request,  promised  to  walk  to  the  fort  in  the 
afternoon,  and  ascertain  how  matters  were. 

John,  who  had  not  forgotten  the  advice  of  Mala- 
chi,  brought  in  a  basket  of  fine  trout  from  the  stream 
almost  every  day,  aod  the  supply  of  fish  and  eggs 
proved  very  acceptable,  for  the  beef  had  all  been 
consumed,  and  the  family  would  otherwise  have 
been  reduced  to  salt-pork. 

Alfred,  as  he  had  promised  Emma,  set  off  for  the 
fort,  accompanied  by  Martin.  He  returned  the  next 
morning  full  of  news.  Captain  Sinclair  was,  as 
Emma  had  imagined,  unable  to  come,  having  had  a 
severe  fall,  by  which  he  had  injured  his  knee,  and 
was  laid  up  for  a  time :  he  was,  however,  in  very 
good  spirits,  and  the  medical  officer  had  promised 
that  he  should  be  well  again  in  a  fortnight  :  he  sent 
his  kind  regards  to  all  the  family-  The  command- 
ant also  sent  his  compliments  to  Mr.  Campbell,  and 
chaired  to  acquaint  him  that  in  a  week  or  ten  days, 
it  was  his  intention  to  send  a  boat  to  Montreal,  and 
if  Mr.  Campbell  had  any  purchases  to  make,  or 
wished  to  send  any  one  by  the  opportunity,  he  mi<?ht 
do  so,  and  the  boat  would  bring  back  the  articles  he 
required.  They  had  had  no  further  communication 
with  Quebec,  but  expected  a  runner  to  come  every  day 


8  THE   SETTLERS. 

with  the  letters  from  England  and  newspapers  ;  and 
further,  that  he  hoped  soon  to  be  able  to  pay  his 
respects  in  person. 

Such  was  the  information  brought  by  Alfred;  Em- 
ma made  many  inquiries  relative  to  Captain  Sinclaii 
as  Mary  stood  by,  and  Alfred  laughed  at  her  ex- 
treme inquisitiveness.  The  proposition  of  the  com- 
mandant relative  to  the  trip  to  Montreal  was  then 
discussed.  Old  Malachi  had  several  packages  of 
furs  to  dispose  of.  Martin  had  five,  Alfred  three,  and 
Henry  two;  for,  although  we  made  no  mention  of 
it,  on  their  hunting  excursions,  whoever  killed  the 
animal,  was  entitled  to  the  skin.  The  packages  of 
Malachi,  were,  however,  of  some  value,. as  he  had 
many  beaver  and  other  skins,  while  those  of  Martin 
and  the  others  consisted  chiefly  of  deerskins.  The 
question  was  whom  to  send  down  with  them.  Mala- 
chi was  not  inclined  to  go,  Martin  could  not  well  be 
spared,  and,  moreover,  would  very  probably  get  into 
some  scrape  if  he  went  to  Montreal;  whereas  Henry, 
and  Alfred  did  not  know  anything  about  the  value 
of  skins  ;  otherwise,  Mr.  Campbell,  who  wished  to 
purchase  flour  and  pork,  besides  several  other  arti- 
cles, would  have  preferred  sending  one  of  them. 
But  the  difficulty  was  soon  removed  by  old  Malachi, 
who  observed,  that  he  had  made  a  valuation  of  his 
skins,  and  that  the  others  could  be  valued  also  before 
they  were  packed  up ;  and  that  if  not  sold  for  what 
they  ought  to  fetch,  or  nearly  so,  they  had  better  be 
brought  back.  Mr.  Campbell  was  satisfied  with 
this  arrangement,  and  Henry  was  appointed  to  un- 
dertake the  journey.  Mr.  Campbell  made  out  his 
inventory  of  articles;  Mrs.  Campbell  added  her  list, 
and  all  was  ready  as  soon  as  they  received  notice 
that  the  boat  was  to  leave.  Martin  did  not  appear 
at  all  annoyed  at  not  being  selected  for  the  expedi- 
tion ;  since  Malachi  Bone  had  informed  them  that 
the  Strawberry  was  not  his  wife,  as  they  had  sup- 
posed, Martin   was  continually  by  her   side.     She 


THE   SETTLERS.  9 

began  to  speak  a  few  words  of  English,  and  had  be- 
come a  great  favorite  with  everybody. 

Mr.  Campbell,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  that  Mal- 
achi  no  longer  avoided  them,  thought  it  but  his  duty 
to  offer  him  his  land  back  again,  but  Malachi  would 
not  consent  to  accept  it.  He  said  he  did  not  want 
the  land,  although,  perhaps,  he  might  raise  his  lodge 
a  little  nearer  to  them  than  it  was;  at  present,  things 
had  better  remain  as  they  were;  after  which  Mr. 
Campbell  did  not  renew  the  subject.  Malachi  soon 
acted  upon  his  remark,  that  perhaps  he  might  raise 
his  lodge  a  little  nearer,  for  a  few  days  afterward, 
he  made  his  appearance  with  the  Strawberry  and 
John,  all  three  loaded  with  his  household  utensils, 
and  in  a  very  short  time  he  had  erected  another 
wigwam  within  sight  of  the  house,  at  the  western 
end  of  Mr.  Campbell's  prairie.  This  gave  ffreat  sat- 
isfaction to  Mrs.  Campbell,  because  John  was  now 
always  near  to  them  ;  indeed,  he  no  longer  slept  in 
the  lodge,  but  at  the  house,  in  the  room  with  his 
brothers.  The  major  part  of  the  day  he  passed  at 
the  lodge  or  in  company  with  the  old  hunter;  but 
by  this  new  arrangement,  they  gradually  became,  as 
it  were,  one  family ;  not  a  day  passed  that  the  Straw- 
berry did  not  come  to  their  house  and  make  herself 
useful,  assisting  in  everything  that  she  could,  and 
rapidly  learning  what  she  did  not  know. 

One  or  two  evenings  after  the  message  from  the 
fort,  Mrs.  Campbell  asked  Malachi  some  questions 
relative  to  the  habits  of  the  beaver,  as  she  had  heard 
much  of  the  sagacity  of  that  animal. 

•;  Well,  ma'am,"  said  Malachi,  "it's  a  most  rea- 
sonable animal  certainly,  and  I  will  say,  I  never  was 
tired  with  watching  them  ;  I've  even  forgot  in  the 
summertime  what  I  came  out  for,  from  having  fallen 
in  with  them  at  work." 

"  And  so  have  I,"  said  Martin.  "  I  once  was  ly- 
ing down  under  a  bush  by  the  side  of  a  stream,  and 
I  saw  a  whole  council  of  them  meet  together,  and 
they  talked  after  their  own  fashion  so  earnestly,  that 


10  THE   SETTLERS. 

I  really  think  they  have  a  language  as  good  as  oui 
own.  It's  always  the  old  ones  who  talk,  and  the 
young  ones  who  listen." 

"That's  true,"  replied  Malachi.  "I  once  myself 
saw  them  hold  a  council,  and  then  they  all  separated 
to  go  to  work,  for  they  were  about  to  dam  up  a 
stream  and  build  their  lodges." 

"And  what  did  they  do,  Malachi?'  said  Mrs. 
Campbell. 

"  Why,  ma'am,  they  did  all  the  same  as'  Chris- 
tians would  have  done.  The  Inguns  say  that  bea- 
vers have  souls  as  well  as  themselves,  and  certainly 
if  sense  gave  souls  the  Inguns  would  be  in  the  right. 
The  first  thing  that  they  did  was  to  appoint  their 
sentinels  to  give  notice  of  danger;  for  the  moment 
any  one  comes  near  them,  these  sentinels  give  the 
signal,  and  away  they  all  dive,  and  disappear  till  the 
danger  is  over." 

"  There  are  many  beasts  as  well  as  birds  that  do 
the  same,"  observed  Mr.  Campbell;  "indeed,  most 
of  those  which  are  gregarious  and  live  in  flocks." 

"That's  true,  sir."  replied  Martin. 

"Well,  ma'am,  the  beavers  choose  a  place  fit  for 
their  work.  What  they  require  is  a  stream  running 
through  a  flat  or  bottom,  which  stream  of  water  they 
may  dam  up  so  as  to  form  a  large  pond  of  a  suffi- 
cient depth  by  the  water  flowing  over  and  covering 
the  flat  or  bottom  several  feet  ;  and  when  they  have 
found  the  spot  they  require,  they  begin  their  work." 

"Perhaps,"  observed  Mr.  Campbell,  "this  choice 
requires  more  sagacity  than  the  rest  of  their  labor, 
for  the  beavers  must  have  some  engineering  talent 
to  make  the  selection  ;  they  must  be  able  to  calcu- 
late as  exactly,  as  if  they  took  their  levels,  to  secure 
the  size  and  depth  of  water  in  the  pond  which  is  ne- 
cessary. It  is  the  most  wonderful,  perhaps,  of  all 
the  instincts,  or  reasoning  powers  rather,  allotted  to 
them." 

"It  is,  sir  ;  and  I've  often  thought  so," replied  Mal- 
»chi ;    "and  then  to  see  how  they  carry  all  theii 


THE   SETTLERS.  11 

tools  about  them  ;  a  carpenter's  basket  could  not  be 
better  provided.  Their  strong  teeth  serve  as  axes  to 
cut  down  the  trees  ;  then  their  tails  serve  as  trowels 
for  their  mason's  work  ;  their  forefeet  they  use  just 
as  we  do  our  hands,  and  their  tails  are  also  employed 
as  little  carts  or  wheelbarrows." 

"Pray  go  on,  Malachi,"  said  Mary  ;  "I  am  quite 
interested  already." 

"Well,  miss,' I  have  known  these  little  creatures 
as  they  are,  raise  banks  four  or  five  ,'aundred  paces  in 
length,  and  a  matter  of  twenty  feet  high  in  some 
parts,  besides  being  seven  or  eight  feet  thick ;  and 
all  in  one  season — perhaps  five  or  six  months'  work." 

"  But  how  many  of  them  do  you  reckon  are  at  the 
work  ?"  said  Henry. 

"Perhaps  a  hundred  ;  not  more,  I  should  say." 

"  Well;  but  how  do  they  raise  these  banks,  Mal- 
achi ?"  said  Emma. 

^  "  There,  miss,  they  show  what  sense  they  have. 
I've  often  watched  them  when  they  have  been  saw- 
ing through  the  large  trees  with  the  front  teeth  ; 
they  could  not  carry  the  tree,  that's  sartain,  if  the 
whole  of  them  were  to  set  to  work,  so  they  always 
pick  out  the  trees  by  the  banks  of  the  stream,  and 
they  examine  how  the  trees  incline,  to  see  if  they 
will  fall  into  the  stream  ;  if  not,  they  will  not  cut 
them  down  ;  and  when  they  are  cutting  them  down, 
and  they  are  nearly  ready  for  falling,  if  the  wind 
should  change  and  be  against  the  fall,  thev  will 
leave  that  tree  till  the  wind  will  assist  them.  As 
soon  as  the  trees  are  down,  they  saw  off  the  branches 
and  arms,  and  float  the  log  down  to  where  the  dam 
is  to  be  made  ;  they  lay  them  across,  and  as  they  lay 
them  one  upon  the  other,  of  course  the  water  rises 
and  enables  them  to  float  down  and  place  the  upper 
ones.  But  before  that,  as  soon  as  the  lower  logs  are 
in  their  places,  the  animals  go  and  fetch  long  grass 
and  clay,  which  they  load  upon  their  flat  tails,  and 
drag  to  the  dam,  filling  up  the  holes  between  the 


12  THE   SETTLERS. 

timber  till  it  is  as  strong  as  a  wall,  and  the  water  is 
completely  stopped." 

"  Yes,"  said  Martin  ;  "  I  have  heard  them  at  night 
working  away  so  hard  and  napping  and  spattering 
with  their  tails,  that  I  could  imagine  there  were  fifty 
men  at  work  instead  of  a  hundred  of  those  small  an- 
imals. But  they  work  by  day  and  by  night,  and 
never  seem  tired,  till  the  dam  is  sound  and  their 
work  is  complete." 

"  But  the  raising  of  the  dam  is  only  preparatory,  is 
it  not,  to  their  building  their  own  houses  ?"  observed 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  Nothing  more,  ma'am  ;  and  I  think  the  rest  of 
the  work  is  quite  as  wonderful." 

"  But  it  is  time  to  go  to  bed,"  observed  Mr.  Camp- 
bell :  "  and  we  must,  therefore,  leave  the  remainder 
of  Malachi's  story  till  another  evening." 

"  I  am  sure  that  there  is  not  one  of  the  party  who 
is  more  anxious  to  hear  it  than  I  am,"  replied  Mrs. 
Campbell,  rising ;  "but  as  you  say,  it  is  past  ten 
o'clock,  and  Malachi  and  the  Strawberry  have  to  go 
home,  so,  good  night." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  what  a  pity  !"  cried  Percival ;  '■  I  shall 
dream  of  beavers  all  night,  I'm  sure  I  shall." 


THE   SETTLERS.  13 


CHAPTER  II. 

For   two  or  three  days,  Mr.  Campbell  was  very 
busy  making  out  an  inventory  of  the  articles  which 
he  required.     His  funds  at  Quebec  were  rather  low, 
but  the  communication  which  his  agent  had  made 
to  him  of  Mr.  D.  Campbell's  intention  of  paying  for 
the  green-house  and  hot-house  plants,  made  himfeel 
very  easy  on  that  score;  and  he  now  determined  to 
procure  a  small  flock  of  sheep,  and  one  or  two  of  the 
Canadian   ponies  or  galloways,  as  they  would  soon 
be  required  for  the  farm,  as  well  as  two  carts  or  light 
wagons  used  in  the  country.     In  the  meantime,  Al- 
fred, Martin,  and  Henry,  were  very  busy  putting  the 
seed   in   between  the  stumps  of  the  felled  timber, 
merely  hoeing  up  the  earth  and  raking  it  in,  which 
was  all   that  was  required.     The  quantity  of  land 
cleared  was  about  twelve  acres,  half  of  which  was 
sowed  with  oats,  and  the  other  with  wheat;  the 
piece  cleared   on  the  other  side  of  the  stream  by 
Malachi  Bone,  and  railed  in,  was  sown  with  maize, 
or  Indian  corn.     As  soon  as  the  seed  was  in,  they 
all  set  to  putting  up  a  high  fence  around  the  cleared 
land,  which  was   done  with  split  rails  made  from 
the  white  cedar,  which  grew  in  a  swamp  about  ba!f 
a  mile  distant,  and  which,  it  may  be  remembered, 
had  in  a  great  measure  been  provided  by  the  sol- 
diers who  had  been  lent  to  assist  them  on  their  arri- 
val.    The  piece  of  prairie  land  on  the  side  of  the 
stream  next  to  the  house,  was  put  apart  for  an  early 
crop  of  hay,  and  as   soon  as  they  could,  they  in- 
tended to  turn  the  cows  into  the  bush,  that  is,  to 
feed  in  the  forest,  that  they  might  obtain  hay  from 
the  other  side,  which  had  belonged  to  Malachi  •  but 
Vol.  II.— 2 


14  THE   SETTLERS 

the  prairie  required  to  be  fenced  in,  and  this  waa 
the  job  that  they  took  in  hand  as  soon  as  the  seeds 
were  sown. 

"  I  hope  when  the  colonel  comes  over,"  observed 
Martin  to  Alfred,  "  that  we  shall  persuade  him  to  let 
us  have  some  soldiers  this  summer,  for  we  shall 
want  them  both  for  the  fencing  and  getting  the  hay 
crop  in.  Our  summers  are  not  very  long,  and  there 
is  plenty  to  do." 

"  I  think  my  father  intends  to  make  the  request," 
replied  Alfred. 

"  Ah,  sir  ;  he  will  now  see  the  value  of  this  bit  of 
prairie  land  to  a  new  settler;  instead  of  having  to  go 
in  search  of  hay,  as  they  must  do  at  the  fort  now, 
we  have  plenty  for  hay,  and  plenty  for  feed.  So  we 
are  to  have  some  sheep  I  find  ?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  suppose  we  must  build  a  winter  yard 
for  them." 

"  To  be  sure  we  must,  for  the  wolves  are  very 
partial  to  mutton  ;  I  think,  on  the  whole,  they  like 
pigs  better.  I  wish  we  could  get  the  fence  up  round 
the  prairie,  bu  t  that  we  never  can  do  this  year  with- 
out we  have  help  from  the  fort." 

"But  will  it  be  safe  to  turn  the  cows  into  the 
bush  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,  sir  ;  they  will  not  be  hurt  by  anything  in 
the  summer  time ;  sometimes  we  have  trouble  to 
find  them  again,  but  not  when  they  have  calves ; 
they  are  certain  to  come  home  every  evening  to  their 
young  ones." 

"  We  shall  have  quite  a  herd  of  cattle — eight 
calves  and  eight  cows." 

"  We  must  only  bring  up  the  cow-calves,  unless 
your  father  intends  to  have  oxen  for  the  yoke.  We 
shall  require  them  about  the  time  they  are  fit  to 
break  in  ;  that  is,  in  two  or  three  years." 

"  Yes,  we  shall  be  great  farmers  by-and-by,"  re- 
plied Alfred  with  a  sigh  ;  for  at  the  moment  he  was 
thinking  of  Captain  Lumley  and  his  nautical  profes- 
sion. 


THE   SETTLERS.  15 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  this  conversa. 
tion  took  place,  Malachi  Bone  was  requested  to  re- 
sume his  observations  upon  the  beavers. 

"  Well,  ma'am,  as  I  said  the  other  night,  as  soon 
*as  they  have  dammed  up  the  river  and  made  the 
lake,  they  then  build  their  houses  ;  and  how  they 
manage  to  work  under  water  and  fix  the  posts  in  the 
ground  is  a  puzzle  to  me,  but  they  do  fix  six  posts 
in  the  ground,  and  very  firmly,  and  then  they  build 
their  house,  which  is  very  curious  :  it  is  in  the  form 
of  a  large  oven,  and  made  of  clay  and  fat  earth, 
mixed  up  with  branches  and  herbs  of  all  sorts  ;  they 
have  three  sets  of  rooms,  one  above  the  Jther,  so 
that  if  the  water  rises  from  a  freshet  or  sudden 
thaw,  they  may  be  able  to  move  higher,  and  keep 
themselves  dry.  Each  beaver  has  his  own  little 
room,  and  the  entrance  is  made  under  the  water,  so 
that  they  dive  down  to  go  into  it,  and  nothing  can 
narm  them." 

"  How  very  curious  !  and  what  do  they  live  upon, 
Malachi  ?" 

"  The  bark  of  what  we  call  asp-wood,  ma'am, 
which  is  a  kind  of  sallow  ;  they  lay  up  great  quanti- 
ties of  it  in  the  autumn  as  a  provision  for  winter, 
when  ihey  are  frozen  up  for  some  months." 

"  Well,  but  how  do  you  take  them,  Malachi?" 

"  There  are  many  ways,  ma'am  :  sometimes  the 
Indians  break  down  the  dam,  and  let  off'  the  water, 
and  then  they  kill  them  all  except  a  dozen  of  the  fe- 
males and  half  a  dozen  males  ;  after  which  they  stop 
up  the  dam  again,  that  the  animals  may  breed  and 
increase  ;  sometimes,  when  the  beaver-lake  is  frozen 
hard,  they  break  into  the  beaver-house  from  the  top , 
when  they  do  that,  the  beavers  all  dive  and  escape . 
but  as  they  must  come  up  to  breathe  at  the  holes  in 
the  ice,  they  place  nets  and  take  them  in  that  way, 
but  they  always  have  a  sufficient  number  to  keep  up 
the  stock  ;  they  also  take  them  in  traps  baited  with 
the  asp-wood,  but  that  is  more  difficult." 

"But  there  is  another  sort  of  beaver,   ma'am, 


16  THE   SETTLERS. 

called  the  land-beaver,  which  is  more  easily  taken,'' 
observed  Martin.  "  They  make  holes  in  the  earth 
like  rabbits.  The  Indians  say  tbat  these  beavers 
are  those  who  are  lazy  and  idle,  and  have  been 
driven  out  by  the  others  for  not  working." 

"Now,  tell  us  what  you  do  when  you  go  out  to 
hunt  the  beaver  in  the  winter,  Malachi." 

"  We  never  hunt  the  beaver  only,  ma'am  ;  we  go 
out  to  hunt  everything  ;  we  go  to  the  beaver-lakes, 
and  then  we  set  our  traps  for  beaver,  otter,  marten, 
minx,  cats,  foxes,  and  every  other  animal — some 
traps  large  and  some  small.  We  build  our  hut,  and 
set  our  traps  all  about  us,  and  examine  them  every 
day  ;  we  eat  what  flesh  is  good,  and  we  employ  our- 
selves skinning  the  animals  which  we  take." 

"  Is  the  beaver-flesh  good  ?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  very  tolerable  eating ;  perhaps  the 
best  we  find  at  that  time."  . 

"  But  what  a  miserable  life  that  must  be  !"  said 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  Well,  ma'am,  you  may  think  so,  but  we  hunters 
think  otherwise,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  we  are  used  to 
it,  and  to  being  left  alone  to  our  own  thoughts." 

"  That's  true,"  observed  Martin  ;  "  I'd  rather  pass 
the  winter  hunting  beavers,  than  pass  it  at  Quebec, 
miserable  as  you  may  imagine  the  life  to  be." 

«■  There  must  be  a  charm  in  the  life,  that  is  cer- 
tain," observed  Mr.  Campbell ;  "for  how  many  are 
engaged  in  it  who  go  out  year  after  year,  and  never 
think  of  laying  up  any  of  their  earnings." 

"  Very  true,  sir,"  replied  Martin  ;  "  what  they 
make  from  their  skins  is  spent  as  soon  as  they  get 
to  Quebec,  as  I  know  well,  and  then  they  set  off 
again." 

"  Why,  they  are  like  sailors,"  observed  Alfred, 
"  who  after  a  long  cruise  spend  all  their  wages  and 
prize-money  in  a  few  days,  and  then  go  to  sea  again 
for  more." 

"  Exactly,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  and  what's  the  use 
of  money  if  you  keep  it  ?  A  trapper  can  always  take 


THE   SETTLERS.  17 

up  as  much  powder  and  ball  as  he  wants  upon  credit, 
and  pay  with  a  portion  of  his  skins  on  his  return. 
What  does  he  want  with  the  rest  ?  It's  of  no  use  to 
him,  and  so,  of  course,  he  spends  it." 

"But  would  it  not  be  better  to  put  it  by  until  he 
had  sufficient  to  buy  a  farm,  and  live  comfortably]" 
"But  does  he  live  comfortably,  ma'am?"  said 
Malachi ;  "  has  he  not  more  work  to  do,  more  things 
to  look  after,  and  more  to  care  for,  with  a  farm,  than 
when  he  has  nothing  ?" 

"  It's  very  true  philosophy,  after  all,"  observed  Mr. 
Campbell  ;  "  happy  is  the  man  who  is  content  to  be 
poor.  If  a  man  prefers  to  live  entirely  upon  flesh  as 
the  hunters  do,  there  is  no  reason  why  he  should 
work  hard  and  till  the  ground  to  procure  bread; 
when  the  wants  are  few,  the  cares  are  few  also  ;  but 
still  even  the  savage  must  feel  the  necessity  of  exer- 
tion when  he  has  a  wife  and  family." 

"  Yes,  sir,  to  be  sure  he  does,  and  he  works  hard 
in  his  own  way  to  procure  their  food  ;  but  trappers 
seldom  have  wives  ;  they  would  be  no  use  to  them 
in  the  woods,  and  they  have  no  one  to  provide  for 
but  themselves." 

"It  appears  to  me  like  a  savage  life,  but  a  very 
independent  one,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell ;  "and  I 
presume  it  is  the  independence  which  gives  it  such 
charms." 

"  That's  it,  depend  upon  it,  ma'am,"  replied  Mar- 
tin. 

"  But  what  do  you  do  all  the  summer  time,  Mala- 
chi ?" 

"  Why,  ma'am,  we  take  to  our  rifles  then  ;  there 
are  the  deer,  and  the  lynx,  and  the  wild-cats,  and 
squirrels,  and  the  bear,  and  many  other  animals,  to 
look  after ;  and  then  sometimes  we  go  bee-hunting, 
for  the  honey." 

"  Pray  tell  us  how  you  take  the  honey,  Malachi." 

"Why,  ma'am,  the  tees  always  live  in  the  hol- 
lows of  the  old  trees,  and  it's  very  difficult  in  a  forest 
to  find  them  out,  for  the  hole  which  they  enter  by  is 

2* 


18  THE   SETTLERS. 

very  small  and  very  high  up  sometimes ;  however, 
when  we  get  a  lead,  we  generally  manage  it." 

"  Tell  us  what  you  mean,  Malachi." 

"  We  catch  the  bees  as  they  settle  upon  the  flow- 
ers to  obtain  honey,  and  then  we  let  them  go  again. 
The  bee,  as  soon  as  it  is  allowed  to  escape,  flies 
straight  toward  its  hive  ;  we  watch  it  till  we  can  no 
longer  see  it,  and  walk  in  that  direction  and  catch 
another,  and  so  we  go  on  till  we  see  them  settle 
upon  a  tree,  and  then  we  know  that  the  hive  and 
honey  must  be  in  that  tree,  so  we  cut  it  down." 

"  How  very  clever  !"  said  Percival. 

"  It  requires  a  sharp  eye,  though,"  said  Martin, 
"  to  watch  the  bee  far ;  some  of  the  trappers  catch 
the  bees  and  give  them  sugar  mixed  with  whiskey. 
This  makes  the  bee  tipsy,  and  he  can  not  fly  so  fast, 
and  then  they  discover  the  hive  much  sooner,  as 
they  can  run  almost  as  fast  as  the  bee  flies  ?" 

"  That's  capital,"  cried  Percival ;  "  but  tell  me, 
Martin,  how  do  you  kill  the  bears  ?" 

"  Why,  Master  Percival,  with  our  rifles,  to  be 
sure ;  the  easiest  Avay  to  kill  them  is  when  they  are 
in  their  holes  in  the  hollow  trees." 

"How  do  you  get  them  out?" 

"  Why,  we  knock  the  tree  with  our  axes,  and 
they  come  out  to  see  what's  the  matter,  and  as  soon 
as  they  put  their  heads  out,  we  shoot  them." 

■"Are  you  in  earnest,  Martin?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  quite  in  earnest,"  replied  Martin. 

"  It's  all  true,  ma'am,"  said  the  hunter  ;  "  the 
bears  about  here  are  not  very  savage.  We  had 
much  worse  down  in  Maine.  I've  seen  the  Indians 
in  a  canoe  on  the  river  watching  the  bears  as  they 
swam  across,  and  kill  in  the  water  six  or  seven  in 
one  day." 

"Still  a  bear  is  an  awkward  sort  of  animal  when 
it's  angry,"  replied  Martin  ;  "  and,  as  we  may  have 
them  down  here  in  the  autumn,  it's  as  well  not  to  let 
them  be  thought  too  lightly  off." 

"  Indeed,  there's  no  fear  of  that,"  said  Emma ;  "  aa 


THE   SETTLERS.  19 

for  Malachi,  he  thinks  nothing  dangerous  ;  but  I  have 
no  wish  to  see  a  bear.  You  say  we  may  expect 
them,  Martin.     Why  so  ?" 

"  Because,  miss,  they're  very  fond  of  maize,  and 
we  have  a  field  of  it  sown,  which  may  tempt  them." 

"  Well,  if  they  do  come,  I  must  trust  to  my  rifle," 
replied  Emma,  laughing  ;  "  at  all  events,  I  do  not 
fear  them  so  much  as  I  did  when  I  first  came  here." 

"  Don't  fire,  miss,  without  you're  sure  of  killing," 
said  Malachi.  "  The  creatures  are  very  dangerous 
when  wounded." 

"  Don't  be  afraid ;  I'll  only  fire  in  self-defence,  Mal- 
achi ;  that  is,  when  I  have  no  other  chance  left.  I 
had  rather  trust  to  my  heels  than  my  rifle.  Were 
you  ever  hugged  by  a  bear  ?" 

"Well,  I  wasn't  ever  hugged  ;  but  once  I  was 
much  closer  to  one  than  ever  I  wish  to  be  again." 

"  Oh  !  when  was  that  ?  Do,  pray,  tell  us,"  said 
Emma.    • 

"  It  was  when  I  was  young,  that  one  day  I  sound- 
ed a  tree  in  the  forest  with  my  axe,  and  I  was  certain 
that  a  bear  was  in  it  ;  but  the  animal  did  not  show 
itself,  so  I  climbed  up  the  tree  to  examine  the  hole 
at  the  lop,  and  see  if  the  bear  was  at  home  ;  as  if  so, 
I  was  determined  to  have  him  out.  Well,  miss,  I 
was  on  the  top  of  the  hollow  trunk,  and  was  just 
putting  my  head  down  into  the  hole,  when,  all  of  a 
sudden,  the  edge  of  the  tree  which  I  kneeled  upon 
gave  way,  like  so  much  tinder,  and  down  I  went 
into  the  hollow.  Luckily  for  me,  I  did  not  go  down 
head  foremost,  or  there  1  should  have  remained  till 
this  time;  for  the  hole  in  the  middle  of  the  tree,  as 
I  found,  was  too  narrow  for  me  to  have  turned  in, 
and  there  I  must  have  stuck.  As  it  was,  I  went 
down  with  the  dust,  and  crumbles  smothering  me 
almost,  till  I  came  right  on  the  top  of  the  bear,  whc 
lay  at  the  bottom  ;  and  I  fell  with  such  force,  that  I 
doubled  his  head  down,  so  that  he  could  not  lay  hold 
of  me  with  his  teeth,  which  would  not  have  been 
pleasant ;  indeed,  the  bear  was  quite  as  much,  if  no? 


20  THE   SETTLERS. 

more,  astonished  than  myself,  and  there  he  lay  be- 
neath me  very  quiet  l ill  I  could  recover  a  little. 
Then  I  thought  of  getting  out,  as  you  may  suppose, 
fast  enough,  and  the  hollow  of  the  tree  providentially 
was  not  so  wide  but  that  I  could  work  up  again  with 
my  back  to  one  side  and  ray  knees  to  the  other.  By 
this  means,  I  gradually  got  up  again  to  the  hole  that 
I  fell  in  at,  and  perched  myself  across  the  timber  to 
fetch  my  breath.  I  had  not  been  there  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  minute,  and  I  intended  to  have  remained 
much  longer,  when  I  perceived  all  of  a  sudden  the 
bear's  head  within  a  foot  of  me.  He  had  climbed 
up  after  me,  and  I  saw  that  he  was  very  angry  ;  so 
in  a  moment  I  threw  myself  off  my  perch,  and  down 
I  went  to  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  a  matter 
of  near  twenty  feet,  even  faster  than  I  went  down 
inside  of  it.  I  was  severely  shaken  with  the  fall, 
but  no  bones  were  broken  ;  in  fact,  I  was  more  fright- 
ened than  hurt.  I  lay  quite  still  for  a  little  while, 
when  the  growl  of  the  bear  put  me  in  mind  of  him : 
I  jumped  on  my  legs,  and  found  that  he  was  coming 
down  the  tree  after  me,  and  was  within  six  feet  of 
the  ground.  There  was  no  time  to  lose:  I  caught 
up  my  rifle,  and  had  just  time  to  put  it  to  his  ear 
and  settle  him,  as  he  was  placing  his  fore-foot  on  the 
ground." 

"  What  a  narrow  escape  !" 

"Well,  perhaps  i<  was;  but  there's  no  saying, 
miss,  which  beats  till  the  fight  is  over." 


THE   SETTLERS.  21 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  notice  luiived  that  the  departure  of  the  boat  to 
Montreal  wouid  take  place  on  the  next  morning. 
When  the  uoai  came  up,  it  brought  Captain  Sinclair, 
to  the  great  delight  of  the  whole  party,  who  had 
felt  very  anxious  about  one  with  whom  they  had  so 
long  been  intimate,  and  who  had  shown  them  so 
much  kindness.  His  knee  was  almost  well,  and,  as 
soon  as  the  first  interrogations  were  over,  he  made 
known  to  them  that  he  had  obtained  six  weeks  leave 
of  absence,  and  was  about  to  proceed  to  Quebec. 

"To  Quebec !"  cried  Emma,  "and  why  are  you 
going  to  Quebec  V 

"  To  confess  the  truth,  Emma,"  said  Captain  Sin- 
clair, "  my  journey  to  Quebec  is  but  the  preparatory 
step  to  my  return  to  England,  for  perhaps  two  or 
three  months." 

"To  England?  Oh!  how  I  wish—;"  but  here 
Emma  stopped.  She  was  going  to  say  how  much 
she  wished  that  she  was  going  also,  but  her  uncle 
and  aunt  were  present,  and,  recollecting  that  it  might 
pain  them,  and  induce  them  to  think  that  she  was 
discontented,  she  added,  "that  you  would  bring  me 
out  all  the  new  fashions." 

"All  the  new  fashions,  my  dear.Emma  ?"  said 
Henry.  "Why,  do  you  wish  to  be  fashionably 
dressed  in  the  woods  of  Canada  ?" 

"  Why  not  ?"  exclaimed  Emma,  who  felt  that  she 
must  appear  to  be  very  foolish,  but  could  not  get  out 
of  her  scrape.  "  I  can  look  at  myself  in  the  glass, 
at  all  events." 

"  I  will  try  to  bring  you  out  something  which  will 


22  THE    SETTLERS. 

give  you  pleasure,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair,  "  but 
as  for  the  fashions,  I  know  you  are  only  joking,  by 
your  trusting  a  person  so  incompetent  as  I  am  to  se- 
lect them." 

"  Well,  I  do  not  think  you  would  execute  my 
commission  very  well,  so  I  will  not  trouble  you," 
replied  Emma  ;  "  and  now  let  us  know  why  you  are 
going  tc  England." 

"Sly  dear  Emma,"  said  .\Ir.  Campbell,  "you 
ought  not  to  put  such  questions  ;  Captain  Sinclair 
has  his  own  reasons,  I  have  no  doubt." 

"  Jt  is  very  true  that  I  have  my  own  reasons,"  re- 
plied Captain  Sinclair,  "and,  as  I  have  no  secrets, 
I  will  with  pleasure  gratify  Emma's  curiosity.  I  do 
not  know  whether  you  are  aware  that  I  was  an  or- 
phan at  a  very  early  age,  and  have  been  under  the 
charge  of  a  guardian.  When  my  father  died,  he  left 
directions  in  his  will  that  I  was  not  to  take  posses- 
sion of  my  property  till  I  was  twenty-five  years  of 
age.  I  was  twenty-five  years  old  last  year,  and  my 
guardian  has  written  requesting  me  to  come  home, 
that  he  may  be  relieved  of  his  responsibility,  by 
making  over  to  me  the  trust  which  has  been  confided 
to  him." 

"  Will  it  detain  you  long  ?"  inquired  Mr.  Camp- 
bell. 

"  It  must  not.  It  is  very  difficult  to  obtain  leave 
of  absence  from  your  regiment  in  time  of  war.  It  is 
only  through  interest  that  I  do  so  now.  On  my  ar- 
rival at  Quebec,  the  governor  will  put  me  on  his 
staff,  and  then  he  will  give  me  leave.  I  shall  not 
stay  longer  than  is  necessary,  as  I  am  anxious  to  be 
with  my  regiment  again.  You  may,  therefore,  be 
certain  that,  if  I  am  spared,  I  shall  be  with  you 
again  before  the  winter,  if  not  much  sooner.  So  now 
if  you  have  really  any  commissions  for  me  to  exe- 
cute, I  can  only  say  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  comply 
with  your  wishes  to  the  best  of  my  ability." 

"Well,"  observed  Emma,  "we  really  were  not 
aware  that  Captain  Sinclair  was  a  man  of  fortune 


THE   SETTLERS.  23 

f  ou  think  now  you  will  come  back,"  continued  she 
gravely,  "but  if  once  you  get  to  England,  you  will 
remain,  and  forget  all  about  Canada." 

"My  fortune  is  not  very  large,"  replied  Captain 
Sinclair  :  "  in  England,  hardly  sufficient  to  induce  a 
young  lady  of  fasbion  to  look  upon  me,  although 
enough,  perhaps,  for  a  sensible  woman  to  be  happy 
upon.  My  fortune,  therefore,  will  not  detain  me  in 
England,  and,  as  I  said  before,  my  greatest  wish  is 
to  rejoin  my  regiment." 

"Whether  you  come  back  or  remain,"  observed 
Mr.  Campbell,  "you  will  always  have  our  best 
wishes,  Captain  Sinclair.  We  are  not  ungrateful 
for  your  kindness  to  us." 

"  Nor  shall  I  forget  the  many  happy  hours  I  have 
passed  in  your  society,"  replied  Cap'tain  Sinclair; 
"  but  we  shall  be  melancholy  if  we  talk  too  long  upon 
the  subject.  The  boat  can  not  remain  more  than 
two  hours,  and  Henry  must  be  ready  by  that  time. 
The  commandant  is  anxious  that  it  should  start  for 
Montreal  this  very  evening." 

"  Then,  indeed,  we  have  no  time  to  lose,"  observ- 
ed Mr.  Campbell  ;  "  Henry,  get  your  trunk  ready, 
and  Martin  will  take  it  down  into  the  boat  before 
we  sit  down  to  dinner.  It  will  be  a  long  while  be- 
fore we  h,ave  you  to  dine  with  us  again,"  continued 
Mr.  Campbell  to  Captain  Sinclair  ;  "  but  I  wish  you 
your  health  and  much  happiness  till  your  return. 
Come,  girls,  look  after  the  dinner.  Mary  !  where's 
Mary  ?" 

"  She  went  into  the  room  a  few  minutes  ago,"  said 
Emma,  "but  I'm  here,  and  can  do  all  that  is  re- 
quired without  her  or  my  aunt  either.  Come,  Per- 
cival,  lay  the  cloth  ;  Alfred,  come  and  help  me,  this 
is  almost  too  heavy  for  me.  Oh,  here  comes  my 
aunt  ;  now  you  may  go  away,  Alfred  ;  we  can  get 
on  belter  without  you." 

"  There's  gratitude,"  said  Alfred,  laughing. 

As  Henry  had  been  in  daily  expectation  of  the 
summons,  he  was  not  long  in  his  preparations,  and 


24  THE   SETTLERS. 

in  a  few  minutes  made  his  appearance,  accompanied 
by  mary  Percival.  They  then  sat  down  to  dinner, 
not  very  cheerful,  for  Captain  Sinclair's  unexpected 
departure  had  thrown  a  gloom  over  them  all ;  how- 
ever, they  rallied  a  little  toward  the  close  of  the 
meal,  and  Mr.  Campbell  produced  one  of  his  bottles 
of  wine  to  drink  success  and  happiness  to  the  travel- 
lers. It  was  then  time  to  start.  Captain  Sinclair 
and  Henry  shook  hands  with  Mr.  Campbell  and  the 
Mi>s  Percivals,  and,  accompanied  by  the  gentlemen 
of  the  party,  walked  down  to  the  beach. 

"  I  can't  bear  parting  with  any  one  that  I  have 
been  so  intimate  with, "said  Emma,  after  they  were 
left  alone.  "  I  declare  I  could  sit  down  and  have  a 
hearty  cry  at  Captain  Sinclair's  departure." 

Mary  sighed,  but  made  no  answer. 

"  I  am  not  surprised  to  hear  you  say  so,  Emma," 
said  Mrs.  Campbell.  "  In  England,  when  we  were 
surrounded  with  friends,  parting  was  always  pain- 
ful ;  but  here  where  we  have  so  few,  I  might  almost 
say  only  Captain  Sinclair,  it  is  of  course  most  pain- 
ful.    However,  it's  only  for  a  time,  I  hope." 

"  It  must  be  very  dull  to  be  on  duty  at  the  fort," 
said  Mary  ;  "  I  should  not  be  surprised  at  Captain 
Sinclair's  not  returning." 

"I  should  be  most  exceedingly  surprised,"  replied 
Emma  ;  "  I  am  sure  that  he  will  come  back,  if  he  is 
not  unavoidably  prevented." 

"  Since  he  has  expressed  so  much  desire  to  rejoin 
his  regiment,  I  should  be  surprised  as  well  as  you, 
Emma,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell.  "  He  is  not  a  volatile 
young  man  ;  but  come,  we  must  clear  away  the  din- 
ner-table." 

Mr.  Campbell,  Alfred,  Percival,  and  Martin,  soon 
returned,  for  Captain  Sinclair  was  obliged  to  push 
off  immediately,  that  he  might  return  in  time  to  the 
fort,  in  obedience  to  his  orders.  Malachi  and  John 
had  gone  out  on  a  hunting  expedition,  and  the  Straw- 
berry was  at  her  own  lodge.  The  party  that  sat  in 
the  kitchen  in  the  evening  was,  therefore,  much  re- 


THE   SETTLERS.  25 

duced,  and  the  taking  farewell  of  Captain  Sinclair 
did  not  dispose  them  to  he  very  lively.  A  few  words 
were  exchanged  now  and  then,  but  the  conversation 
drooped.  Emma  spoke  of  Captain  Sinclair's  expect- 
ations and  projects. 

"  We  never  know  what  may  come  in  this  world 
of  change,  my  dear  Emma,"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 
"  All  Captain  Sinclair's  plans  may  be  overthrown 
by  circumstances  over  which  he  has  no  control. 
How  seldom  do  we  meet  with  results  equal  to  our 
expectations.  When  I  was  practising  in  my  pro- 
fession, I  little  expected  that  I  should  be  summoned 
to  take  possesson  of  Wexton  Hall ;  when  once  in 
possession,  as  little  did  I  expect  that  I  should  be 
obliged  to  quit  it,  and  to  come  to  these  desolate  wilds. 
We  are  in  the  hands  of  God,  who  does  with  us  as 
he  thinks  fit.  I  have  been  reading  this  morning, 
and  I  made  the  observation  not  only  how  often  indi- 
viduals, but  even  nations,  are  out  in  their  expecta- 
tions. I  do  not  know  a  more  convincing  proof  of 
this  than  the  narration  of  events,  which  from  their 
recent  occurrence,  can  hardly  yet  be  considered  as 
history,  has  offered  to  me.  Perhaps  there  never  was 
so  short  a  period  in  which  causes  have  produced 
effects  so  rapidly,  and  in  which,  in  every  case,  the 
effects  have  been  directly  opposite  to  what  short- 
sighted mortals  had  anticipated.  It  was  in  1756, 
scarcely  forty  years  ago,  that  the  French,  being  in 
possession  of  the  provinces,  attempted  to  wrest  from 
us  those  portions  of  America  which  we  occupied. 
What  was  the  result?  After  a  war  which,  for 
cruelty  and  atrocity,  is  perhaps  unequalled  in  his- 
tory, both  parties  employing  savages,  by  whom  the 
French  and  English  were  alternately  tortured  and 
burnt  to  death,  France,  in  attempting  to  obtain  all, 
lost  all,  and  was  compelled,  in  1760,  to  surrender 
its  own  provinces  to  Great  Britain.  Here  is  one  in- 
stance in  which  affairs  turned  out  contrary  to  the 
expectations  of  France.  , 

"Now  again:   At  no  period  was  England  more 

Vol.  II.— 3 


2b 


THE   SETTLERS. 


prosperous  or  more  respected  by  foreign  nations  thaa 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  Her  prosperity  made  her 
arrogant  and  unjust.  She  wronged  her  colonies. 
She  thought  that  they  dared  not  resist  her  imperious 
will.  She  imagined  that  now  that  the  French  were 
driven  from  the  Canadas,  America  was  all  her  own  ; 
whereas  it  was  because  the  French  were  driven  from 
the  Canadas  that  the  colonies  ventured  to  resist.  As 
tong  as  the  French  held  this  country,  the  English 
colonists  had  an  enemy  on  their  frontiers,  and  con- 
sequently looked  up  to  England  for  support  and  pro- 
tection. They  required  aid  and  assistance,  and  as 
long  as  they  did  require  it,  they  were  not  likely  to 
make  any  remonstrance  at  being  taxed  to  pay  a  por- 
tion of  the  expense  which  was  incurred.  Had  the 
French  possessed  an  army  under  Montcalm  ready  to 
advance  at  the  time  that  the  stamp  act,  or  the  duty 
upon  tea,  salt,  &c,  was  imposed,  I  question  very 
much  if  the  colonists  would  have  made  any  remon- 
strance. But  no  longer  requiring  an  army  for  their 
own  particular  defence,  these  same  duties  induced 
them  to  rise  in  rebellion  against  what  they  consid- 
ered injustice,  and  eventually  to  assert  their  indepen- 
dence. Here,  again,  we  find  that  affairs  turned  out 
quite  contrary  to  the  expectations  of  England. 

"Observe  again.  The  American  colonists  gained 
their  independence,  which  in  all  probability  they 
would  not  have  done  had  they  not  been  assisted  by 
the  numerous  army  and  fleet  of  France,  who,  irri- 
tated at  the  loss  of  the  Canadas,  wished  to  humiliate 
England  by  the  loss  of  her  own  American  posses- 
sions. But  little  did  the  French  king  and  his  no- 
blesse imagine,  that  in  upholding  the  principles  of 
the  Americans,  and  allowing  the  French  armies  and 
navies  (I  may  say  the  people  of  France  en  masse)  to 
be  imbued  with  the  same  principles  of  equality,  that 
they  were  sowing  the  seeds  of  a  revolution  in  their 
own  country  which  was  to  bring  the  king,  as  well 
as  the  major  part  of  the  nobility,  to  the  scaffold. 

"There,  again,  the  events  did  not  turn  out  accord- 


THE   SETTLERS.  27 

mg  to  expectation,  and  you  will  observe  that  in 
every  attempt  made  by  either  party,  the  result  was, 
that  the  blow  fell  upon  their  own  heads,  and  not 
upon  that  of  the  party  which  it  was  intended  to 
crush." 

"1  remember,"  said  Alfred,  after  Mr.  Campbell 
had  finished  speaking,  "having  somewhere  read  a 
story  of  an  eastern  king  who  purchased  a  proverb 
of  a  dervise,  which  he  ordered  to  be  engraven  on  all 
the  gold  and  silver  utensils  in  the  palace.  The  prov- 
erb was,  'Never  undertake  anything  until  you  have 
well  considered  the  end.'  It  so  happened,  that  there 
was  a  conspiracy  against  the  king,  and  it  was 
arranged  that  his  surgeon  should  bleed  him  with  a 
poisoned  lancet.  The  surgeon  agreed — the  king's 
arm  was  bound  up,  and  one  of  the  silver  basins  was 
held  to  receive  the  blood*  The  surgeon  read  the  in- 
scription, and  was  so  struck  with  the  force  of  it,  that 
he  threw  down  the  lancet,  confessed  the  plot,  and 
thus  was  the  life  of  the  king  preserved." 

"A  very  apt  story,  Alfred,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"The  question  now  is,"  continued  Alfred,  "as 
two  of  the  parties,  France  and  England,  have  proved 
so  short-sighted,  whether  the  Americans,  having 
thrown  off  their  allegiance,  have  not  been  equally 
so  in  their  choice  of  a  democratical  government  ?" 

"  How  far  a  modern  democracy  may  succeed,  I  am 
not  prepared  to  say,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell;  "but 
this  I  do  know,  that  in  ancient  times,  their  duration 
was  generally  very  short,  and  continually  changing 
to  oligarchy  and  tyranny.  One  thing  is  certain,  that 
there  is  no  form  of  government  under  which  the 
people  become  so  rapidly  vicious,  or  where  these 
who  benefit  them  are  treated  Avith  such  ingratitude." 

"  How  do  you  account  for  that,  sir  ?"  said  Alfred. 

"  There  are  two  principal  causes.  One  is,  that 
where  all  men  are  declared  to  be  equal  (which  man 
never  will  permit  his  fellow  to  be  if  he  can  prevent 
it),  the  only  source  of  distinction  is  wealth,  and  thus 
the  desire  of  wealth  becomes  the  ruling  passion  of 


28  THE   SETTLERS. 

the  whole  body,  and  there  is  no  passion  so  demoral- 
izing. The  other  is,  that  where  ihe  people,  or,  more 
properly  speaking,  the  mob  govern,  they  must  be 
conciliated  by  flattery  and  servility  on  the  part  of 
those  who  would  become  their  idols.  ISIow  flattery 
is  lying,  and  a  habit  equally  demoralizing  to  the 
party  who  gives  and  to  the  party  who  receives  it. 
Depend  upon  it,  there  is  no  government  so  contemp- 
tible or  so  unpleasant  for  an  honest  man  to  live  un- 
der as  a  democracy." 

"  It  is  my  opinion,  sir,  and  I  believe  a  very  gene- 
ral one,"  said  Alfred. 

"How  far  the  Americans  may  disprove  such  an 
opinion,"  continued  Mr.  Campbell,  "  remains  to  be 
seen  ;  but  this  is  certain,  they  have  commenced 
their  new  form  of  government  with  an  act  of  such 
gross  injustice,  as  to  warrant  the  assumption  that  all 
their  boasted  virtues  are  pretence.  I  refer  to  their 
not  liberating  their  slaves.  They  have  given  the 
lie  to  their  own  assertions  in  their  Declaration  of 
Independence,  in  which  they  have  declared  all  men 
equal — and  born  free,  and  we  can  not  expect  the  Di- 
vine blessing  upon  those  who,  when  th  ey  emancipated 
themselves,  were  so  unjust  as  to  hold  their  fellow- 
creatures  in  bondage.  The  time  will  come,  I  have 
no  doubt,  although  perhaps  not  any  of  us  here  pres- 
ent may  see  the  day,  wnen  the  retribution  will  fall 
upon  their  heads,  or  rather  upon  the  heads  of  their 
oflfspring;  for  the  sins  of  the  fathers  are  visited  upon 
the  children,  even  to  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 
But  it  is  time  for  us  to  think  of  retiring — good  night, 
and  God  bless  you  all." 


THE  SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

In  two  days  Malachi  and  John  returned,  bringing 
with  them  the  skins  of  three  bears  which  they  had 
killed — but  at  this  period  of  the  year  the  animals 
were  so  thin  and  poor,  that  their  flesh  was  not  worth 
bringing  home.  Indeed,  it  was  hardly  worth  while 
going  out  to  hunt  just  then,  so  they  both  remained 
much  at  home,  either  fishing  in  the  lake,  or  taking 
trout  in  the  stream.  Alfred  and  Martin  were  still 
occupied  with  the  farm  ;  the  seed  had  come  up,  and 
they  were  splitting  rails  for  the  prairie  fence.  About 
a  fortnight  after  Captain  Sinclair's  departure,  Colo- 
nel Forster  came  in  a  boat  from  the  fort,  to  pay  them 
a  visit. 

"I  assure  you,  Mr.  Campbell,"  said  he,  "I  was 
very  anxious  about  you  last  winter,  and  I  am  rejoiced 
that  you  got  over  it  with  so  little  difficulty.  At  one 
time  we  had  apprehensions  of  the  Indians,  but  these 
have  passed  over  for  the  present.  They  meet  again 
this  summer,  but  the  Quebec  government  are  on  the 
alert,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  a  little  concilia- 
tion will  put  an  end  to  all  animosity.  We  expect  a 
large  supply  of  blankets  and  other  articles  to  be  sent 
up  this  spring,  as  presents  to  the  tribes,  which  we 
hope  will  procure  their  good  will  ;  and  we  have 
taken  up  several  French  emissaries,  who  were  work- 
ing mischief." 

"But  still  we  shall  be  liable  to  the  assaults  of 
straggling  parties,"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  That  is  true,"  replied  the  colonel,  "but  against 
them  you  have  your  own  means  of  defence.  You 
would,  in  so  isolated  a  position,  be  equally  liable  to 
a  burglary  in  England — only  with  the  difference  that 

3* 


30  THE   SETTLERS. 

in  England  you  would  have  the  laws  to  appeal  to, 
whereas  here  you  must  take  the  law  into  your  own 
hands." 

"It  certainly  is  not  pleasant  to  be  in  a  continual 
state  of  anxiety,"  observed  Mr.  Campbell,  "  but  we 
knew  what  we  had  to  expect  before  we  came  here, 
and  we  must  make  the  best  of  it.  So  you  have  lost 
Captain  Sinclair,  colonel ;  he  is  a  great  loss  to  us." 

"  Yes,  he  is  to  go  to  England  for  a  short  time," 
replied  the  colonel,  "but  we  shall  soon  have  him 
back  again.  He  must  be  very  fond  of  his  profession 
to  remain  in  it  with  his  means." 

"  He  told  us  he  was  about  to  take  possession  of  a 
small  property." 

"  A  property  of  nearly  £2,000  per  annum,"  replied 
the  colonel.  "  He  may  consider  it  a  small  property, 
but  I  should  think  it  otherwise  if  it  had  fallen  to  my  lot." 
"  Indeed,  I  had  no  idea,  from  what  he  said,  that  it 
was  so  large,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell.  "  Well,  I  have 
a  high  opinion  of  him,  and  have  no  doubt  but  that  he 
will  make  a  good  use  of  it." 

"At  all  events,  he  can  afford  the  luxury  of  a 
wife,"  said  the  colonel,  laughing,  "which  we  sol- 
diers seldom  can." 

The  colonel  then  entered  into  conversation  with 
Mr.  Campbell,  relative  to  his  farm,  and  after  many 
questions,  he  observed  : — 

"  I  have  been  thinking,  Mr.  Campbell,  that  it  will 
be  very  advantageous  to  the  government  as  well  as 
to  you,  when  your  farm  is  cleared  and  stocked,  if 
with  the  water  power  you  possess  here,  you  were  to 
erect  a  flour-mill  and  a  saw-mill.  You  observe  that 
the  government  has  to  supply  the  fort  with  flour  and 
provisions  of  all  kinds  at  a  very  heavy  expense  of 
carriage,  and  the  cattle  we  have  at  the  fort  will  cost 
us  more  than  they  are  worth,  now  that  we  have  lost 
your  prairie  farm,  so  conveniently  situated  for  us. 
On  the  other  hand,  your  produce  will  be  almost  use- 
less to  you,  at  the  distance  you  are  from  any  mart; 
as  you  will  not  find  any  sale  for  it.     Now,  if  you 


THE   SETTLERS.  31 

were  to  erect  a  mill,  and  grind  your  own  wheat; 
which  you  may  do  in  another  year,  if  you  have  funds 
sufficient  ;  and  as  you  may  have  plenty  of  stock,  you 
will  be  able  to  supply  the  fort  with  flour,  beef,  pork, 
and  mutton,  at  a  good  profit  to  yourself,  and  at  one  half 
the  price  which  government  pays  at  present.  I  have 
written  to  the  governor  on  the  subject,  stating  that 
We  have  not  the  means  of  keeping  our  stock,  and 
pointing  out  to  him  what  I  now  point  out  to  you.  I 
expect  an  answer  in  a  few  days,  and  should  he  au- 
thorize me,  I  may  make  arrangements  with  you  even 
now,  which  will  be  satisfactory,  I  have  no  doubt." 

Mr.  Campbell  returned  the  colonel  many  thanks  for 
his  kindness,  and  of  course  expressed  himself  willing 
to  be  guided  by  his  advice.  He  stated  that  he  had 
funds  not  only  sufficient  to  erect  a  mill,  but  also,  if 
he  were  permitted,  to  pay  for  the  labor  of  any  party 
which  the  commandant  would  spare  during  the  sum- 
mer season. 

"  That  is  the  very  point  which  I  wished  to  ascer- 
tain ;  but  I  felt  some  delicacy  about  making  the 
inquiry.     Now  I  consider  there  will  be  no  difficulty 


.  our  arrangements." 


The  colonel  remained  for  some  time  looking  over 
thp  farm  and  conversing  with  Mr.  Campbell,  and 
then  took  his  leave. 

In  the  meantime,  Alfred  and  his  cousins  went  out 
to  walk  ;  the  weather  was  now  beautifully  clear,  and 
in  the  afternoon  the  heat  was  not  too  oppressive. 
As  they  sauntered  by  the  side  of  the  stream,  Mary 
said,  "  Well,  Alfred,  what  do  you  think  of  the  col- 
onel's proposition?" 

"  Yes,"  observed  Emma,  "you  are  a  party  deeply 
concerned  in  it." 

"  How  so,  dear  coz  ?" 

"  Why,  don't  you  perceive  that  if  the  mill  is  erected, 
you  will  be  the  proper  person  to  have  charge  of  it  ? 
"What  a  change  of  professions,  from  a  sailor  to  a 
miller.  I  think  I  see  you  in  your  coat,  all  white  with 
tlour,  coming  in  to  dirner." 


32  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  My  dear  Emma,  you  don't  intend  it,  I  am  sure 
but  you  do  not  know  that  you  are  inflicting  pain  upon 
me.  When  the  colonel  made  the  proposition,  I  felt 
the  importance  of  ir,  as  it  would  be  a  source  of  great 
profit  to  my  father ;  but  at  the  same  time,  I  don't 
know  how  it  is,  I  have  always  indulged  the  idea 
that  we  may  not  stay  here  for  ever,  and  this  plan 
appeared  so  like  decidedly  settling  down  to  a  resi- 
dence for  life,  that  it  made  me  low-spirited.  I  know 
that  it  is  foolish,  and  that  we  have  no  chance  of  ever 
removing — but  still  I  can  not,  even  with  this  almost 
certainty  before  my  eyes,  keep  my  mind  from  think- 
ing upon  one  day  returning  to  my  profession,  and  the 
idea  of  becoming  a  miller  for  life  is  what  I  can  not  as 
yet  contemplate  with  any  degree  of  composure." 

"  Well,  I  only  did  it  to  tease  you  a  little — no;  to 
hurt  your  feelings,  believe  me,"  replied  Emma. 
"  You  shall  not  be  a  miller  if  you  don't  like  it. 
Henry  will  do  better  perhaps  than  you  ;  but  as  for 
our  quitting  ihis  place,  I  have  no  idea  of  its  being 
ever  possible.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  live  and 
die  in  the  Canadian  woods,  considering  it  my  way- 
ward fate  that  all  'my  sweetness  should  be  wasted 
on  the  desert  air.'  " 

"  Repining  is  useless,  if  not  sinful,"  observed  Mary 
Percival.  "  We  have  much  to  be  thankful  for  ;  at 
least  we  are  independent,  and  if  we  are  ever  to  repay 
the  kindness  of  our  uncle  and  aunt,  who  must  feel 
their  change  of  condition  so  much  more  than  we  do, 
it  must  be  by  cheerfulness  and  content.  I  have  been 
thinking  as  well  as  you,  Alfred,  and  I'll  tell  you  what 
was  in  my  thoughts.  I  looked  forward  to  a  few 
years,  by  which  time,  as  the  country  fills  up  so  fast, 
it  is  very  probable  that  we  shall  have  other  selllers 
here  as  neighbors,  in  every  direction.  This  will 
give  us  security.  I  also  fancied  that  my  uncle's 
farm  and  property  became  of  value  and  importance, 
and  that  he  himself  became  a  leading  man  in  the 
district;  not  only  at  his  ease,  but,  for  a  settler,  even 
wealthy ;   and  then    I  fancied   that,  surrounded   by 


THE   SETTLERS.  33 

others,  in  perfect  security,  and  in  easy  and  independ- 
ent circumstances,  my  uncle  would  not  forget  the 
great  sacrifice  which  my  cousin  Alfred  so  nobly  made, 
and  would  insist  upon  his  returning  to  that  profes- 
sion, to  which  he  is  so  much  attached,  and  in  which 
I  have  no  doubt  but  that  he  will  distinguish  himself." 

"  Well  said,  my  sweet  prophet,"  said  Alfred,  kiss- 
ing his  cousin,  "  you  have  more  sense  than  both  of 
us." 

"  Answer  for  yourself,  Alfred,  if  you  please,"  said 
Emma,  tossing  her  head  as  if  affronted.  "  I  shall 
not  forget  that  remark  of  yours,  I  can  assure  you. 
Now,  1  prophesy  quite  the  contrary ;  Alfred  will 
never  go  to  sea  again.  He  will  be  taken  with  the 
charms  of  some  Scotch  settler's  daughter  ;  some 
Janet  or  Moggy,  and  settle  down  into  a  Canadian 
farmer,  mounted  on  a  long-legged  black  pony." 

"And  I  too,"  replied  Alfred,  "prophesy,  that  at 
the  same  time  that  I  marry  and  settle  as  you  have 
described,  Miss  Emma  Percival  will  yield  up  her 
charms  to  some  long-legged,  black,  nondescript  sort 
a  fellow,  who  will  set  up  a  whiskey  shop  and  install 
his  wife  as  bar  maid  to  attend  upon  and  conciliate 
his  customers." 

"  Emma,  I  think  you  have  the  worst  of  this  peep- 
ing into  futurity,"  said  Mary,  laughing. 

"  Yes,  if  Alfred  were  not  a  false  prophet,  of  which 
there  are  always  many  going  about,"  replied  Emma  ; 
"  however,  I  hope  your  prophecy  may  be  the  true 
one,  Mary,  and  then  we  shall  get  rid  of  him." 

"  I  flatter  myself  that  you  would  be  very  sorry  if 
I  went  away  ;  you  would  have  no  one  to  tease,  at  all 
events,"  replied  Alfred,  "and  that  would  be  a  sad 
loss  to  yourself.'' 

"  Well,  there's  some  sense  in  that  remark,"  said 
Emma  ;  "  but  the  cows  are  waiting  to  be  milked, 
and  so,  Mr.  Alfred,  if  you  are  on  your  good  behavior, 
you  had  better  go  and  bring  us  the  pails." 

"  I  really  pity  Alfred,"  said  Mary,  as  soon  as  he 
was  out  of  hearing  ;    "  his  sacrifice   has  been  very 


34  THE   SETTLERS. 

great,  and  much  as  he  must  feel  it,  how  well  h« 
bears  up  against  it." 

"  He  is  a  dear,  noble  fellow,"  replied  Emma,  "  and 
I  do  love  him  very  much,  although  I  can  not  help 
teasing  him." 

"  But  on  some  points  you  should  be  cautious,  my 
dear  sister ;  you  don't  know  what  pain  you  give." 

"  Yes  I  do,  and  am  always  sorry  when  I  have  done 
it,  but  it  is  not  until  afterward  that  I  recollect  it,  and 
then  I  am  very  angry  with  myself.  Don't  scold  me, 
dear  Mary,  I  will  try  to  be  wiser  ;  I  wonder  whether 
what  you  say  will  come  to  pass,  and  we  shall  have 
neighbors  ;  I  wish  we  had,  if  it  were  only  on  account 
of  those  Indians." 

"I  think  it  very  probable,"  replied  Mary;  "but 
time  will  show." 

Alfred  then  returned  with  the  pails,  and  the  con- 
versation look  another  turn. 

A  few  days  afterward,  a  corporal  arrived  from  the 
fort  bringing  letters  and  newspapers  ;  the  first  that 
they  had  received  since  the  breaking  up  of  the  win- 
ter. The  whole  family  were  in  commotion  as  the 
intelligence  was  proclaimed  ;  Mary  and  Emma  left 
the  fowls  which  they  were  feeding  ;  Percival  threw 
down  the  pail  with  which  he  was  attending  the  pigs  ; 
Alfred  ran  in  from  where  he  and  Martin  were  busy 
splitting  rails  ;  all  crowded  round  Mr.  Campbell  as 
he  opened  the  packet  in  which  all  the  letters  and 
papers  had  been  enveloped  at  the  fort.  The  letters 
were  few  ;  three  from  Miss  Paterson,  and  two  other 
friends  in  England,  giving  them  the  English  news; 
one  to  Alfred  from  Captain  Lumley,  inquiring  after 
the  family,  and  telling  him  that  he  had  mentioned 
his  position  to  his  friends  at  the  Board,  and  that  there 
could  be  no  call  for  his  services  for  the  present ;  one 
from  Mr.  Campbell's  English  agent,  informing  him 
that  he  had  remitted  the  money  paid  by  Mr.  Douglas 
Campbell  for  the  plants,  &c,  to  his  agent  at  Quebec  ; 
and  another  from  his  Quebec  agent,  advising  the 
receipt  of  the  money  and  enclosing  a  balance-sheet. 


THE    SETTLERS.  35 

The  letters  were  first  read  over,  and  then  the  news- 
papers were  distributed,  and  all  of  them  were  soon 
very  busy  and  silent  during  the  perusal. 

After  a  while,  Emma  read  out.  "  Dear  uncle, 
only  hear  this,  how  sorrv  I  am." 

"'What  is  it,  my  dear,'"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  Mrs.  Douglas  Campbell,  of  Wexton  Hall,  of  a 
son,  which  survived  but  a  few  hours  after  birth." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  too,  my  dear  Emma,"  replied 
Mr.  Campbell;  "Mr.  Douglas  Campbell's  kindness 
to  us  must  make  us  feel  for  any  misfortune  which 
may  happen  to  him,  and  to  rejoice  in  any  blessing 
which  may  be  bestowed  upon  him." 

"It  must  have  been  a  serious  disappointment," 
said  Mrs.  Campbell  ;  "but  one  which,  if  it  pleases 
crod,  may  be  replaced  :  and  we  may  hope  that  their 
expectations,  though  blighted  for  the  present,  may 
be  realized  on  some  future  occasion." 

"Here  is  a  letter  from  Colonel  Forster,  which  I 
overlooked,"  said  Mr.  Campbell  ;  "it  was  between 
the  envelope.  He  says  that  he  has  received  an  an- 
swer from  the  governor,  who  fully  agrees  with  him 
in  his  views  on  the  subject  we  were  conversing 
about,  and  has  allowed  him  to  take  any  steps  which 
he  may  think  advisable.  The  colonel  says  that  he 
will  call  upon  me  again  in  a  few  days,  and  thai  if,  in 
the  meantime,  I  will  let  him  know  how  many  sol- 
diers I  wish  to  employ,  he  will  make  arrangements 
to  meet  my  views  as  far  as  lies  in  his  power.  We 
have  to  thank  Heaven  for  sending  us  friends,  at  all 
events,"  continued  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  but  at  present, 
we  will  put  his  letter  aside,  and  return  to  our  English 
news." 

"  Dear  England  !"  exclaimed  Emma. 
"  Yes,  dear  England,  my  good  girl ;  we  are  Eng- 
lish, and  can  love  our  country  as  much  now  as  we 
did  when  we  lived  in  it.  We  are  still  English  and 
in  an  English  colony ;  it  has  pleased  Heaven  to 
remove  us  away  from  our  native  land,  but  our  hearts 
and  feelings  are  still  the  same,  and  so  will  all  English 


36  THE   SETTLERS. 

hearts  be  found  to  be  in  every  settlement  made  by 
our  country  all  over  the  wide  world.  We  all  glory 
in  being  English,  and  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  our 
country.  May  the  feeling  never  be  lost,  but  have  an 
elevating  influence  upon  our  general  conduct '" 


CHAPTER  V. 

It  was  very  nearly  five  weeks  before  Henry  re- 
turned from  his  expedition  to  Montreal.  During  lihis 
time,  the  colonel  had  repeated  his  visit  and  made 
arrangements  with  Mr.  Campbell.  A  party  of  twenty 
soldiers  had  been  sent  to  work  at  felling  timber  and, 
splitting  rails,  for  whose  services  Mr.  Campbell  paid 
as  before.  The  winter  house  and  palisade  fence  for 
the  sheep  were  put  in  hand,  and  great  progress  was 
made  in  a  short  time,  now  that  so  many  people  were 
employed.  They  had  also  examined  the  stream  for 
some  distance,  to  ascertain  which  would  be  the  most 
eligible  site  for  the  water-mill,  and  had  selected  one 
nearly  half  a  mile  from  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
where  there  was  a  considerable  fall,  and  the  stream 
ran  with  great  rapidity.  It  was  not,  however,  ex- 
pected that  the  mill  would  be  erected  until  the  fol- 
lowing year,  as  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  millwright 
and  all  the  machinery  from  either  Montreal  or  Que- 
bec. It  was  intended  that  the  estimate  of  the 
expense  should  he  given  in,  the  contract  made,  and 
the  order  given  during  the  autumn,  so  that  it  might 
be  all  ready  for'the  spring  of  the  next  year.  It  was 
on  a  Monday  morning  that  Henry  arrived  from  the 
fort,  where  he  had  stayed  the  Sunday,  having  reached 
it  late  on  Saturday  night.  The  bateaux,  with  the 
stock  and  stores,  he  had  left  at  the  fort ;  they  were 
to  come  round  during  the  day,  but  Henry's  impa- 
tience to  Bee  the  family  would  not  allow  him  to  wait. 
He  was,  as  may  be  supposed,  joyfully  received,  and, 
as  soon  as  the  first  recognitions  were  over,  he  pro- 


THE   SETTLERS.  37 

ceeded  to  acquaint  his  father  with  what  he  had  done. 
He  had  obtained  from  a  Canadian  farmer  forty  ewes 
of  very  fair  stock,  although  not  anything  equal  to 
the  English  ;  but  the  agent  had  worked  hard  for 
him,  and  procured  him  twenty  English  sheep  and 
two  rams  of  the  best  kind,  to  improve  the  breed. 
For  the  latter  he  had  to  pay  rather  dear,  but  they 
were  worth  any  money  to  Mr.  Campbell,  who  was 
quite  delighted  with  the  acquisition.  In  selecting 
the  sheep,  of  course  Henry  was  obliged  to  defend 
on  the  agent  and  the  parties  he  employed,  as  he  was 
no  judge  himself;  but  he  had,  upon  his  own  judg» 
ment,  purchased  two  Canadian  horses,  for  Henry  had 
been  long  enough  at  Oxford  to  know  the  points  of  a 
horse,  and  as  they  turned  out,  he  had  made  a  very 
good  bargain.  He  had  also  bought  a  sow  and  pigs 
of  an  improved  breed,  and  all  the  other  commissions 
had  been  properly  executed :  the  packages  of  skins  also 
realized  the  price  which  had  been  put  on  them.  As 
it  may  be  supposed,  he  was  full  of  news,  talking 
about  Montreal,  the  parties  he  had  been  invited  to, 
and  the  people  with  whom  he  had  become  acquainted. 
He  had  not  forgotten  to  purchase  some  of  the  latest 
English  publications  for  his  cousins,  besides  a  few 
articles  of  millinery,  which  he  thought  not  too  gay 
for  their  present  position.  He  was  still  talking,  and 
probably  would  have  gone  on  talking  for  hours 
longer,  so  many  were  the  questions  which  he  had  to 
reply  to,  when  Martin  came  in  and  announced  the 
arrival  of  the  bateaux  with  the  stores  and  cattle, 
upon  which  they  all  went  down  to  the  beach  to  see 
them  disembarked  and  brought  up  by  the  soldiers, 
who  were  at  work.  The  stores  were  carried  up  to 
the  door  of  ihe  storehouse,  and  the  sheep  and  horses 
were  turned  into  the  prairie  with  the  cows.  A 
week's  rations  for  the  soldiers  were  alao  brought  up 
from  the  fort,  and  the  men  were  very  busy  in  the 
distribution,  and  carrying  them  to  the  little  tempo- 
rary huts  of  boughs  which  they  had  raised  for  their 
accommodation,  during  the  time  they  worked  for 
Vol.  II.— 4 


38  THE   SETTLERS. 

Mr.  Campbell.  Before  the  evening  set  in  everything 
was  arranged,  and  Henry  was  again  surrounded  by 
the  family  and  replying  to  their  remaining  interrog- 
atories. He  told  them  that  the  governor  of  Montreal 
had  sent  them  an  invitation  to  pass  the  winter  at 
Government  house,  and  promised  the  young  ladies 
that  no  wolf  should  venture  to  come  near  to  them, 
and  that  the  aides-de-camp  had  requested  the  honor 
of  their  hands  at  the  first  ball  which  should  be  given 
after  their  arrival,  at  which  they  all  laughed  heartily. 
In  short,  it  appeared  that  nothing  could  equal  the 
kindness  and  hospitality  which  had  been  shown  to 
him,  and  that  there  was  no  doubt,  if  they  chose  to  go 
there,  that  it  would  be  equally  extended  to  the  other 
members  of  the  family. 

There  was  a  pause  in  the  conversation,  when 
Malachi  addressed  Mr.  Campbell. 

"Martin  wishes  me  to  speak  to  you,  sir,"  said 
Malachi. 

"Martin,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  looking  round  for 
him,  and  perceiving  that  he  was  not  in  the  room ; 
"  why,  yes,  I  perceive  he  is  gone  out.  What  can  it 
be  that  he  can  not  say  for  himself?" 

"  That's  just  what  I  said  to  him,"  replied  Mala- 
chi ;  "  but  he  thought  it  were  better  to  come  through 
me  ;  the  fact  is,  sir,  that  he  has  taken  a  liking  to 
the  Strawberry,  and  wishes  10  make  her  his  wife." 

"  Indeed  !" 

"Yes,  sir;  I  don't  think  that  he  would  have  said 
anything  about  it  as  yet,  but  you  see,  there  are  so 
many  soldiers  here,  and  two  or  three  of  them  are  of 
Martin's  mind,  and  that  makes  him  feel  uncomfort- 
able till  the  thing  is  settled  ;  and  as  he  can't  well 
marry  while  in  your  service  without  your  leave,  he 
has  asked  me  to  speak  about  it." 

"  Well,  but  the  Strawberry  is  your  property,  not 
mine,  Malachi." 

"  Yes,  sir,  according  to  Indian  fashion,  I  am  her 
father  ;  but  I've  no  objection,  and  sha'n't  demand  any 
presents  for  her." 


THE    SETTLERS.  39 

"Presents  for  her  !  why  we  in  general  give  pres 
ents  or  money  with  a  wife,"  said  Emma. 

"Yes,  I  know  you  do,  but  English  wives  a'n't  In- 
dian wives  ;  an  English  wife  requires  people  to  work 
for  her  and  costs  money  to  keep,  but  an  Indian  wife 
works  for  herself  and  her  husband,  so  she  is  of  val- 
ue, and  is  generally  bought  of  the  father  ;  I  reckon 
in  the  end  that  it's  cheaper  to  pay  for  an  Indian  wife 
than  to  receive  money  with  an  English  one  ;  but 
that's  as  may  be." 

"  That's  not  a  very  polite  speech  of  yours,  Mala- 
chi,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"Perhaps  it  an't,  ma'am,  but  it's  near  the  mark 
nevertheless.  Now  I  am  willing  that  Martin  should 
have  the  Strawberry,  because  I  know  that  he  is  a 
smart  hunter,  and  will  keep  her  well ;  and  somehow 
or  another,  I  feel  that  if  he  made  her  his  wife,  I 
should  be  more  comfortable  ;  I  shall  live  with  them 
here  close  by,  and  Martin  will  serve  you,  and  when 
he  has  a  wife  he  will  not  feel  inclined"  to  change  ser- 
vice, and  go  into  the  woods." 

"  I  think  it  an  excellent  proposal,  Malachi,  and 
am  much  pleased  with  it,  as  we  now  shall  have  you 
all  together,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  so  you  will,  and  then  I'll  be  always 
with  the  boy  to  look  after  him,  and  you'll  always 
know  where  we  are,  and  not  be  frightened." 

"Very  true,  Malachi,"  said  Mr.  Campbell;  "I 
consider  it  a  very  good  arrangement.  We  must 
build  you  a  better'  lodge  than  the  one  that  you  are 

in." 

"  No,  sir,  not  a  better  one,  lor  if  you  have  all  you 
want,  you  can't  want  more  ;  it's  big  enough,  but  per- 
haps not  quite  near  enough.  I'm  thinking  that 
when  the  sheepfold  is  finished  it  might  be  as  well 
to  raise  our  lodge  inside  of  the  palisades,  and  then 
we  shall  be  a  sort  of  guard  to  the  creatures." 

"  A  very  excellent  idea,  Malachi ;  well  then,  as 
far  as  I  am  concerned,  Martin  has  my  full  consent  to 
marry  as  soon  as  he  pleases." 


40  THE   SETTLERS. 

"And  mine,  if  it  is  at  all  necessary,"  observed 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  But  who  is  to  marry  them  ?"  said  Emma  ;  they 
have  no  chaplain  at  the  fort ;  he  went  away  ill  last 
year." 

"  Why,  miss,  they  don't  want  no  chaplain  ;  she  is 
an  Indian  girl,  and  he  will  marry  her  Indian-fashion." 

"But  what  fashion  is  that,  Malachi?"  said  Mary. 

"  Why,  miss,  he'll  come  to  the  lodge,  and  fetch 
her  away  to  his  own  house."' 

Alfred  burst  out  into  laughter ;  "  Thai's  making 
short  work  of  it,"  said  he. 

"  Yes,  rather  too  short  for  my  approval,"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell.  "  Malachi,  it's  very  true  that  the  Straw- 
berry is  an  Indian  girl,  but  we  are  not  Indians,  and 
Martin  is  not  an  Indian,  neither  are  you  who  stand 
as  her  father  ;  indeed,  I  can  not  consent  to  give  my 
sanction  to  such  a  marriage." 

"Well,  ma'am,  as  you  please,  but  it  appears  to 
me  to  be  all  right.  If  you  go  into  a  country  and 
wish  to  marry  a  girl  of  that  country,  you  marry  her 
according  to  the  rules  of  that  country.  Now,  Mar- 
tin seeks  an  Indian  squaw,  and  why  not  therefore 
marry  her  after  Indian  fashion?" 

"  You  may  be  right,  Malachi,  in  your  argument,' 
said  Mrs.  Campbell ;  "  but  still  you  must  make  al- 
lowances for  our  prejudices.     We  never  should  think 
that  she  was  a  married  woman,  if  no  further  cere- 
mony was  to  take  place  than  what  you  propose." 

"  Well,  ma'am,  just  as  you  please  ;  but  still,  sup- 
pose you  marry  them  after  your  fashion,  the  girl 
won't  understand  a  word  that  is  said,  so  what  good 
will  it  do  ?" 

"  None  to  her  at  present,  Malachi ;  but  recollect, 
if  she  is  not  a  Christian  at  present,  she  may  be  here- 
after ;  I  have  often  thought  upon  that  subject,  and 
although  I  feel  it  useless  to  speak  to  her  just  now, 
yet  as  soon  as  she  understands  English  well  enough 
to  know  what  I  say  to  her,  I  hope  to  persuade  her 
to  become  one.     Now,  if  she  should  become  a  Chris- 


THE   SETTLERS.  41 

tian,  as  I  hope  in  God  she  will,  she  then  will  per* 
ceive  that  she  has  not  been  properly  married,  and 
will  be  anxious  to  have  the  ceremony  properly  per- 
formed over  again  ;  so  why  not  do  it  now  l" 

"  Well,  ma'am,  if  it  pleases  you,  I  have  no  objec- 
tion ;  I'm  sure  Martin  will  have  none." 

"It  will  please  me  very  much,  Malachi,"  replied 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

"And  although  there  is  no  chaplain  at  the  fort," 
observed  Mr.  Campbell,  "yet  the  colonel  can  marry 
in  his  absence  ;  a  marriage  by  a  commanding  officer 
is  quite  legal." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Alfred,  "  and  so  is  one  by  a  cap- 
tain of  a  man-of-war." 

"So  be  it  then,"  replied  Malachi;  "the  sooner 
the  better,  for  the  soldiers  are  very  troublesome,  and 
I  can  not  keep  them  out  of  my  lodge." 

Martin,  who  had  remained  outside  the  door,  and 
overheard  all  that  passed,  noAVcame  in  ;  the  subject 
was  again  canvassed,  and  Martin  returned  his  thanks 
for  the  permission  given  to  him. 

"Well,"  said  Emma,  "I  little  thought  we  should 
have  a  wedding  in  the  family  so  soon  ;  this  is  quite 
an  event.  Martin,  I  wish  you  joy  ;  you  will  have  a 
very  pretty  and  a  very  good  wife." 

"  I  think  so  too,  miss,"  replied  Martin. 

"  Where  is  she?"  said  Mary. 

"  She  is  in  the  garden,  miss,"  said  Malachi,  "get- 
ting out  of  the  way  of  the  soldiers  ;  now  that  the 
work  is  done,  they  torment  her  not  a  little,  and  she 
is  elad  to  escape  from  them ;  I'd  tell  them  to  go 
away,  but  they  don't  mind  me  ;  they  know  I  must 
not  use  my  rifle." 

"  I  should  hope  not,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell ;  "  it 
Avould  be  hard  to  sJioot  a  good  man  merely  because 
he  wished  to  marry  your  daughter." 

"  Why,  yes,  ma'am,  it  would,"  replied  Malachi  ; 
"  so  the  sooner  she  is  given  to  Martin,  the  sooner  we 
shall  have  peace." 

As  the  boat  was  continually  going  backward  and 

4* 


42  THE   SETTLERS. 

f6rward  between  the  fort  and  the  farm,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell wrote  to  the  colonel,  stating  what  they  wished 
him  to  do,  and  the  colonel  appointed  that  day  week, 
on  which  he  would  come  and  perform  the  ceremony. 
It  was  a  little  fete  at  the  farm.  Mrs.  Campbell  and 
the  Miss  Percivals  dressed  themselves  more  than 
usually  smart,  so  did  all  the  males  of  the  establish- 
ment ;  and  a  better  dinner  than  usual  was  prepared, 
as  the  colonel  and  some  of  the  officers  were  to  dine 
and  spend  the  day  with  them.  Martin  was  very 
gayly  attired,  and  in  high  spirits.  The  Strawberry 
had 'on  a  new  robe  of  "young  deerskin,  and  had  a 
flower  or  two  in  her  long  black  hair  ;  she  looked  as 
she  was,  very  pretty  and  very  modest,  but  not  at  all 
embarrassed.  The  marriage  ceremony  was  explain- 
ed to  her  by  Malachi,  and  she  cheerfully  consented. 
Before  noon  the  marriage  took  place,  and  an  hour  or 
two  afterward,  they  sat  down  to  a  well-furnished 
table,  and  the  whole  party  were  very  merry,  partic- 
ularly as  the  colonel,  who  was  most  unusually  gay, 
insisted  upon  the  Strawberry  sitting  at  the  table, 
which  she  had  never  done  before.  She  acquitted 
herself, however,  without  embarrassment,  and  smiled 
when  thev  laughed,  although  she  could  understand 
but  little  of  what  they  said.  Mr.  Campbell  opened 
two  of  his  bottles  of  wine,  to  celebrate  the  day,  and 
they  had  a  very  happy  party  ;  the  only  people  who 
were  discontented  were  three  or  four  of  the  soldiers 
outside,  who  had  wanted  to  marry  the  Strawberry 
themselves;  but  the  knowledge  that  their  colonel 
was  there,  effectually  put  a  stop  to  anything  like 
annoyance  or  disturbance  on  their  parts.  At  sunset, 
the  colonel  and  officers  departed  for  the  fort,  the 
family  remained  in  the  house  till  past  ten  o'clock,  by 
which  time  all  the  soldiers  had  gone  to  bed.  Mr. 
Campbell  then  read  prayers,  and  offered  up  an  addi- 
tional one  for  the  happiness  of  the  newly-married 
couple,  after  which  they  all  saluted  the  Strawberry 
and  wished  her  good  night;  she  was  then  led  to  the 
lodge  by  Martin,   accompanied   by  Alfred,  Henry, 


THE    SETTLERS.  43 

Malachi,  Percival,  and  John,  who  all  went  home 
with  them  as  a  guard  from  any  interruption  on  the 
part  of  the  disappointed  suiters. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"How  cheerful  and  gay  everything  looks  now," 
observed  Emma  to  Mary,  a  few  mornings  after  the 
celebration  of  the  marriage.  "  One  could  hardly 
credit  that  in  a  few  months  all  this  animated  land- 
scape will  be  nothing  but  one  dreary  mass  of  snow 
and  ice,  with  no  sounds  meeting  the  ear  but  the 
howling  of  the  storm  and  the  howling  of  the  wolves." 

"  Two  very  agreeable  additions  certainly,"  replied 
Mary  ;  "  but  what  you  observe  was  actually  occur- 
ring to  my  own  mind  at  the  very  moment." 

The  scene  was  indeed  cheerful  and  lively.  The 
prairie  on  one  side  of  the  stream  waved  its  high 
grass  to  the  summer  breeze  ;  on  the  other,  the  cows, 
horses,  and  sheep,  were  grazing  in  every  direction. 
The  lake  in  the  distance  was  calm  and  unruffled; 
the  birds  were  singing  and  chirping  merrily  in  the 
woods  ;  near  the  house  the  bright  green  of  the  her- 
bage was  studded  with  the  soldiers,  dressed  in  white, 
employed  in  various  ways ;  the  corn  waved  its  yel- 
low ears  between  the  dark  stumps  of  the  trees  in  the 
cleared  land;  and  the  smoke  from  the  chimney  of 
the  house  mounted  straight  up  in  a  column  to  the 
sky  ;  the  grunting  of  the  pigs,  and  the  cackling  of 
the  fowls,  and  the  occasional  bleating  of  the  calves, 
responded  to  by  the  lowing  of  the  cows,  gave  life 
and  animation  to  the  picture.  At  a  short  distance 
from  the  shore  the  punt  was  floating  on  the  still  wa- 
ters. John  and  Malachi  were  very  busy  fishing  ;  the 
dogs  were  lying  down  by  the  palisades,  all  except 
Oscar,  who,  as  usual,  attended  upon  his  young  mis- 
tresses ;  and  under  the  shade  of  a  large  tree,  at  a 
.ittle  distance  from  the  house,  were  Mr.  Campbell 


44  THE   SETTLEBS. 

and  Percival,  the  former  reading  while  the  other  was 
conning  over  his  lesson. 

"  This  looks  but  little  like  a  wilderness  now, 
Mary,  does  it  ?"  said  Emma. 

"  No,  my  dear  sister.  It  is  very  different  from 
what  it  was  when  we  first  came  ;  but  still  I  should 
like  to  have  some  neighbors." 

"  So  should  I ;  any  society  is  better  than  none  at 
all." 

"There  I  do  not  agree  with  you;  at  the  same 
time,  I  think  we  could  find  pleasure  in  having  about 
us  even  those  who  are  not  cultivated,  provided  they 
w^re  respectable  and  good." 

"  Thai's  what  I  would  have  said,  Mary  :  but  we 
must  go  in,  and  practise  the  new  air  for  the  guitar 
which  Henry  brought  us  from  Montreal.  We  prom- 
ised him  that  we  would.  Here  comes  Alfred  to 
spend  his  idleness  upon  us." 

"  His  idleness,  Emma  ;  surely,  you  don't  mean 
that  ;  he's  seldom,  if  ever,  unemployed. '• 

"  Some  people  are  very  busy  about  nothing,"  re- 
plied Emma. 

"  Yes  ;  and  some  people  say  what  they  do  not 
mean,  sister,"  replied  Mary. 

"Well,  Alfred,  here  is  Emma  pronouncing  you  to 
be  an  idle  body." 

"  I  am  not  likely  to  be  that,  at  all  events,"  replied 
Alfred,  taking  off  his  hat  and  fanning  himself.  "  My 
father  proposes  to  give  me  enough  to  do.  What  do 
you  think  he  said  to  me  this  morning  before  break- 
fast ?" 

"  I  suppose  he  said  that  you  might  as  well  go  to 
sea  again  as  remain  here,"  replied  Emma,  laughing. 

"  No,  indeed  ;  I  wish  he  had  ;  but  lie  has  pro- 
posed that  your  prophecy  should  be  fulfilled,  my 
malicious  little  cousin.  He  has  proposed  my  turning 
miller." 

Emma  clapped  her  hands  and  laughed. 

"  How  do  you  mean?"  said  Mary. 

u  Why,  lie  pointed  out  to  me  that  the  mill  would 


THE   SETTLERS.  45 

*ost  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  that 
he  thought  as  my  half-pay  was  unemployed,  that  it 
would  be  advisable  that  I  should  expend  it  in  erect- 
ing the  mill,  offering  me  the  sum  necessary  for  the 
purpose.  He  would  advance  the  money,  and  I 
might  repay  him  as  I  received  my  pay.  That,  he 
6aid,  would  be  a  provision  for  me,  and  eventually  an 
independence." 

"  I  told  you  that  you  would  be  a  miller,"  replied 
Emma,  laughing.     "  Poor  Alfred  !" 

"  Well,  what  did  you  reply,  Alfred?"  said  Mary. 

"  I  said  yes,  I  believe,  because  I  did  not  like  to 
say  uo." 

"You  did  perfectly  right,  Alfred,"  replied  Mary. 
"  There  can  be  no  harm  in  your  having  the  property, 
and  had  you  refused  it,  it  would  have  given  pain  to 
your  father.  If  your  money  is  laid  out  on  the  mill, 
my  uncle  will  have  more  to  expend  upon  the  farm ; 
but  still  it  does  not  follow  that  you  are  to  become  a 
miller  all  your  life." 

"  I  should  hope  not,"  replied  Alfred  ;  "as  soon  as 
Emma  meets  with  that  long  black  gentleman  we 
were  talking  of,  I'll  make  it  over  to  her  as  a  mar- 
riage portion." 

"  Thank  you,  cousin,"  replied  Emma,  "  I  may  put 
you  in  mind  of  your  promise  ;  but  now  Mary  and  I 
must  go  in  and  astonisli  the  soldiers  with  our  music  ; 
so  good-by,  Mr.  Campbell,  the  miller." 

The  soldiers  had  now  been  at  work  for  more  than 
two  months,  a  large  portion  of  the  wood  had  been 
felled  and  cleared  away.  With  what  had  been 
cleared  by  Alfred,  and  Martin,  and  Henry  the  year 
before,  they  had  now  more  than  forty  acres  of  corn- 
land.  The  rails  for  the  snake-fence  had  also  been 
split,  and  the  fence  was  almost  complete,  round  the 
whole  of  the  prairie  and  cleared  land,  when  it  was 
time  for  the  grass  to  be  cut  down  and  the  hay  made 
and  gathered  up.  This  had  scarcely  been  finished 
when  the  corn  was  ready  for  the  sickle  and  gathered 
m,  a  barn  had  been  raised  close  to  the  sheepfold  as 


46  THE   SETTLERS. 

well  as  the  lodge  for  Malachi,  Martin  and  his  wife. 
For  six  weeks  all  was  bustle  and  hard  work,  but  the 
weather  was  fine,  and  everything  was  got  in  safe. 
The  services  of  the  soldiers  were  now  no  longer 
required,  and  Mr.  Campbell  having  settled  his  ac- 
counts, they  returned  to  the  fort. 

"  Who  would  think,"  said  Henry  to  Alfred,  as  he 
cast  his  eyes  over  the  buildings,  the  stacks  of  eorn 
and  hay,  and  the  prairie  stocked  with  cattle,  "  thai 
we  had  only  been  here  so  short  a  time  ?" 

"  Many  hands  make  light  work,"  replied  Alfred  ; 
"we  have  done  with  the  help  from  the  fort  what  it 
would  have  taken  us  six  years  to  do  with  our  own 
resources.  My  father's  money  has  been  well  laid 
out,  and  will  bring  in  a  good  return." 

"You  have  heard  of  the  proposal  of  Colonel  For- 
ster,  about  the  cattle  at  the  fort?" 

"No  ;  what  is  it?" 

"  He  wrote  to  my  father  yesterday,  saying,  as  he 
had  only  the  means  of  feeding  the  cows  necessary 
for  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  that  he  would  sell  all 
the  oxen  at  present  at  the  fort  at  a  very  moderate 
price." 

"  But  even  if  we  have  fodder  enough  for  them 
during  the  winter,  what  are  we  to  do  with  them?" 

"  Sell  them  again  to  the  fort  for  the  supply  of  the 
troops,"  replied  Henry,  "  and  thereby  gain  good 
profit.  The  commandant  says  that  it  will  be  cheaper 
to  government  in  the  end  than  being  compelled  to 
feed  them." 

"That  it  will,  I  have  n6  doubt,  now  that  they 
have  nothing  to  give  them  ;  they  trusted  chiefly  to 
our  prairie  for  hay  ;  and  if  they  had  not  had  such  a 
quantity  in  store,  they  could  not  have  fed  them  last 
winter." 

"My  father  will  consent,  I  know;  indeed,  he 
would  be  very  foolish  not  to  do  so,  for  most  of  them 
will  be  killed  when  the  winter  sets  in,  and  will  only 
cost  us  the  grazing." 

"We  are  fortunate  in  finding  such  friends  as  we 


THE    SETTLERS.  47 

have  done,"  replied  Alfred.  "All  this  assistance 
<vould  not  have  been  given  to  perhaps  any  other  set- 
tlers." 

"No,  certainly  not;  but  you  see,  Alfred,  we  are 
indebted  to  your  influence  with  Captain  Lumley  for 
all  these  advantages,  at  least  my  father  and  mother 
say  so,  and  I  agree  with  them.  Captain  Lumley's 
influence  with  the  governor  has  created  all  this  in- 
terest about  us." 

"  I  think  we  must  allow  that  the  peculiar  position 
of  ihe  family  has  done  much  toward  it.  It  is  not 
often  that  they  meet  with  settlers  of  refined  habits 
and  cultivated  minds,  and  there  naturally  must  be  a 
feeling  toward  a  family  of  such  description  in  all 
generous  minds." 

"  Very  true,  Alfred,"  replied  Henry ;  "  but  there  is 
our  mother  waiting  for  us  to  go  in  to  dinner." 

"  Yes  ;  and  the  Strawberry  by  her  side.  What  a 
nice  little  creature  she  is!" 

"  Yes  ;  and  how  quickly  she  is  becoming  useful. 
She  has  almost  given  up  her  Indian  customs  and  is 
settling  down  quietly  into  English  habits.  Martin 
appears  very  fond  of  her." 

"  And  so  he  ought  to  be,"  replied  Henry  ;  "  a  wife 
with  a  smile  always  upon  her  lips  is  a  treasure. 
Come,  let  us  go  in." 

Another  fortnight  passed  away  when  an  inci- 
dent occurred  which  created  some  uneasiness.  Mr. 
Campbell  was  busy  with  Martin  and  Alfred  clearing 
out  the  storeroom  and  arranging  the  stores.  Many 
of  the  cases  and  packages  had  been  opened  to  be 
examined  and  aired,  and  they  were  busily  employed 
when,  turning  round,  Mr.  Campbell,  to  his  great 
surprise,  beheld  an  Indian  by  his  side,  who  was 
earnestly  contemplating  the  various  packages  of 
blankets,  &c,  and  cases  of  powder,  shot,  and  other 
articles,  which  were  opened  around  him. 

"Why,  who  is  this?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Campbell, 
starting. 

Martin  and  Alfred,  who  had  their  backs  to  him  at 


48  THE   SETTLERS. 

the  time  of  Mr.  Campbell's  exclamation,  turned 
round  and  beheld  the  Indian.  He  was  an  elderly 
man,  very  tall  and  muscular,  dressed  in  legginga 
and  deerskin  coat,  a  war  eagle's  feather,  fixed  by  a 
fillet,  on  his  head,  and  a  profusion  of  copper  and 
brass  medals  and  trinkets  round  his  neck.  His  face 
was  not  painted  with  the  exception  of  two  black 
circles  round  his  eyes.  His  head  was  shaved,  and 
one  long  scalp-lock  hung  behind.  He  had  a  toma- 
hawk and  a  knife  in  his  belt  and  a  rifle  upon  his 
arm.  Martin  advanced  to  the  Indian  and  looked 
earnestly  at  him. 

"I  know  his  tribe,"  said  Martin;  "but  not  his 
name ;  but  he  is  a  chief  and  a  warrior." 

Martin  then  spoke  to  him  in  the  Indian  tongue. 
The  Indian  merely  gave  an  "  ugh"  in  reply. 

"He  does  not  choose  to  give  his  name,"  observed 
Martin  ;  "  and,  therefore,  he  is  here  for  no  good. 
Mr.  Alfred,  just  fetch  Malachi  ;  he  will  know  him, 
I  dare  say." 

Alfred  went  to  the  house  for  Malachi;  in  the 
meantime  the  Indian  remained  motionless,  with  his 
eyes  fixed  upon  different  articles  exposed  to  view. 

"It's  strange,"  observed  Martin,  "  how  he  could 
have  come  here  ;  but  to  be  sure  neither  Malachi  nor 
I  have  been  out  lately." 

Just  as  he  finished  his  remark,  Alfred  returned 
with  Malachi.  Malachi  looked  at  the  Indian  and 
spoke  to  him. 

The  Indian  now  replied  in  the  Indian  language. 

"  I  knew  him,  sir,"  said  Malachi,  "  the  moment 
I  saw  his  back.     He's  after  no  good,  and  it's  a 
thousand  pities  that  he  has  come  just  now  and  seen 
all  this,"  continued  Malachi ;  "  it's  a  strong  temp 
tation." 

"  Why,  who  is  he?"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  The  Angry  Snake,  sir,"  replied  Malachi.  "» 
had  no  idea  that  he  would  be  in  these  parts  before 
the  meeting  of  the  Indian  council,  which  takes  place 


THE   SETTLERS.  49 

in  another  month,  and  then  I  meant  to  have  been  on 
the  lookout  for  him." 

"But  what  have  we  to  fear  from  him  ?" 

"  Well ;  that's  to  be  proved  ;  hut  this  I  can  say, 
that  he  has  his  eyes  upon  what  appears  to  him  of 
more  value  than  all  the  gold  in  the  universe  ;  and 
he's  anything  but  honest." 

"  But  we  have  nothing  to  fear  from  one  man," 
observed  Alfred. 

"  His  party  an't  far  off,  sir,"  said  Malachi.  "  He 
has  some  followers,  although  not  many,  and  those 
who  follow  him  are  as  bad  as  himself.  We  must  be 
on  the  watch." 

Malachi  now  addressed  the  Indian  for  some  time  ; 
the  only  reply  was  an  "  ugh.'' 

"  I  have  told  him  that  all  the  powder  and  ball 
that  he  sees  are  for  our  rifles,  which  are  more  than 
are  possessed  by  his  whole  tribe.  Not  that  it  does 
much  ?ood,  but  at  all  events  it's  just  as  well  to  let 
them  know  that  we  shall  be  well  prepared.  The 
crittur's  quite  amazed  at  so  much  ammunition  ; 
that's  a  fact.     It's  a  pity  he  ever  saw  it." 

"Shall  we  give  him  some  1"  said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  No,  no,  sir ;  he  would  only  make  use  of  it  to  try 
to  get  the  rest ;  however,  I  believe  that  he  is  the 
only  one  of  his  party  who  has  a  rifle.  The  best 
thing  is  to  close  the  doors,  and  then  he  will  go." 

They  did  as  Malachi  requested,  and  thelndian, 
after  waiting  a  short  time,  turned  round  on  his  heel, 
and  walked  away, 

"He  is  a  regular  devil,  that  Angry  Snake,"  ob- 
served Malachi,  as  he  watched  him  departing  ;  "but 
never  mind,  I'll  be  a  match  for  him.  I  wish  he'd 
never  seen  all  that  ammunition,  nevertheless." 

"  At  all  events,  we  had  better  not  say  a  word  in 
the  house  about  his  making  his  appearance,"  said 
Mr.  Campbell.  "  It  will  only  alarm  the  women,  and 
do  no  good." 

"That's  true,  sir.     I'll  only  tell  the  Strawberry," 

Vol.  II. — 5 


50  THE   SETTLERS. 

said  Mariin ;  "she's  an  Indian,  and  it  will  put  her 
on  the  look-out." 

"That  will  be  as  well,  but  caution  her  not  to 
mention  it  to  Mrs.  Campbell  or  the  girls,  Martin." 

"  Never  fear,  sir,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  I'll  watch 
his  motions,  nevertheless ;  to-morrow  I'll  be  in  the 
woods  and  on  his  trail.  I'm  glad  that  he  saw  me 
here,  for  he  fears  me  ;  I  know  that." 

It  so  happened  that  the  Indian  was  not  seen  by- 
Mrs.  Campbell  or  any  of  them  in  the  house,  either 
upon  his  arrival  or  departure  ;  and  when  Mr.  Camp- 
bell and  the  others  returned  to  the  house,  they  found 
that  no  one  there  had  any  idea  of  such  a  visit  hav- 
ing been  paid.  The  secret  was  kept,  but  it  occasioned 
a  great  deal  of  anxiety  for  some  days.  At  last  the 
alarm  of  Mr.  Campbell  gradually  subsided.  Malachi 
had  gone  out  with  John,  and  had  discovered  that  all 
the  Indians  had  come  down  near  to  them,  to  meet  in 
council,  and  that  there  were  many  other  parties  of 
them  in  the  woods.  But  although  the  visit  of  the 
Angry  Snake  might  have  been  partly  accidental,  still 
Malachi  was  convinced  that  there  was  every  pros- 
pect of  bis  paying  them  another  visit,  if  he  could  ob- 
tain a  sufficient  number  to  join  him,  so  that  he  might 
obtain  by  force  the  articles  he  had  seen  and  so  much 
coveted. 


THE   SETTLERS.  51 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Mr.  Campbell  acceded  to  the  offer  made  by  the 
commandant  of  the  fort,  and  purchased  of  him  at  a 
moderate  price  eighteen  oxen,  which  were  all  that 
remained  of  the  stock  at  the  fort,  except  the  cows. 
He  also  took  six  weaning  calves  to  bring  up.  The 
cattle  were  now  turned  into  the  bush  to  feed,  that 
they  might  obtain  some  after-grass  from  that  portion 
of  the  prairie  on  which  they  had  been  feeding.  The 
summer  passed  quickly  away,  for  they  all  had  plenty 
of  employment.  They  fished  every  day  in  the  lake, 
and  salted  down  what  they  did  not  eat,  for  winter 
provision.  Martin  now  was  a  great  part  of  his  time 
in  the  woods,  looking  after  the  cattle,  and  Malachi 
occasionally  accompanied  him,  but  was  oftener  out 
hunting  with  John,  and  always  returned  with  game. 
They  brought  in  a  good  many  bearskins,  and  some- 
times the  flesh,  which,  although  approved  of  by  Mal- 
achi and  Martin,  was  not  much  admired  by  the  rest. 
As  soon  as  the  after-grass  had  been  gathered  in,  there 
was  not  so  much  to  do.  Henry  and  Mr.  Campbell, 
with  Percival,  were  quite  sufficient  to  look  after 
the  stock,  and  as  the  leaves  began  to  change,  the 
cattle  were  driven  in  from  the  woods,  and  pastured 
on  the  prairie.  Everything  went  on  in  order  ;  one 
day  was  the  counterpart  of  another.  Alired  and 
Henry  thrashed  out  the  corn,  in  the  shed,  or  rather 
open  barn,  which  had  been  put  up  by  the  soldiers  in 
the  sheep-fold,  and  piled  up  the  straw  for  winter 
fodder  for  the  cattle.  The  oats  and  wheat  were  ta- 
ken into  the  storehouse.  Martin's  wife  could  now 
understand  English,  and  spoke  it  a  little.  She  was 
very  useful,  assisting  Mrs.  Campbell  and  her  nieces 


i>2  THE   SETTLERS. 

in  the  house,  and  attending  the  stock.  They  had 
brought  up  a  large  number  of  chickens,  and  had  dis- 
posed of  a  great  many  to  the  colonel  and  officers  of 
the  fort.  Their  pigs  also  had  multiplied  exceeding- 
ly, and  many  had  been  put  up  to  fatten,  ready  to  be 
killed  and  salted  down.  The  time  for  that  occupa- 
tion was  now  come,  and  they  were  very  busy  curing 
their  meat ;  they  had  also  put  up  a  small  shed  for 
smoking  their  bacon  and  hams.  Already  they  were 
surrounded  with  comfort  and  plenty,  andfelt  grateful 
to  Heaven  that  they  had  been  so  favored. 

The  aulumn  had  now  advanced,  and  their  routine 
of  daily  duty  was  seldom  interrupted  ;  now  and  then 
a  visit  was  paid  them  from  the  fort  by  one  or  other 
of  the  officers  or  the  commandant.  The  Indians  had 
held  their  council,  but  the  English  agent  was  pres- 
ent, and  the  supply  of  blankets  and  other  articles 
sent  to  the  chiefs  for  distribution  had  the  expected 
effect  of  removing  all  animosity.  It  is  true  that  the 
Angry  Snake  and  one  or  two  more  made  very  violent 
speeches,  but  they  were  overruled.  The  calumet 
of  peace  had  been  presented  and  smoked,  and  all 
danger  appeared  to  be  over  from  that  quarter.  Mal- 
achi  had  gone  to  the  council  and  was  well  received. 
He  had  been  permitted  to  speak  also  as  an  English 
agent,  and  his  words  were  not  without  effect.  Thus 
everything  wore  the  appearance  of  peace  and  pros- 
perity, when  an  event  occurred  which  we  shall  now 
relate. 

What  is  termed  the  Indian  summer  had  com- 
menced, during  which  there  is  a  kind  of  haze  in  the 
atmosphere.  One  morning,  a  little  before  dawn, 
Mary  and  Emma,  who  happened  to  be  up  first,  went 
out  to  milk  the  cows,  when  they  observed  that  the 
haze  was  much  thicker  than  usual.  They  had  been 
expecting  the  equinoctial  gales,  which  were  very 
late  this  year,  and  Mary  observed  that  she  foresaw 
they  were  coming  on,  as  the  sky  wore  every  appear- 
ance of  wind  ;  yet  still  there  was  but  a  light  air,  and 
hardly  perceptible  at  the  time.     In  a  moment  after 


THE   SETTLERS.  53 

they  had  gone  out,  and  were  taking  up  their  pails, 
Strawberry  came  to  them  from  her  own  lodge,  and 
they  pointed  to  the  gloom  and  haze  in  the  air.  She 
turned  round,  as  if  to  catch  the  wind,  and  snuffed  for 
a  little  while  ;  at  last  she  said,  "  Great  fire  in  the 
woods."  Alfred  and  the  others  soon  joined  them, 
and  having  been  rallied  by  Emma  at  their  being  so 
late,  they  also  observed  the  unusual  appearance  of 
the  sky.  Martin  corroborated  the  assertion  of  the 
Strawberry,  that  there  was  fire  in  the  woods.  Mal- 
achi  and  John  had  not  returned  that  night  from  a 
hunting  expedition,  but  shortly  after  daylight  they 
made  their  appearance  ;  they  had  seen  the  fire  in  the 
distance,  and  said  that  it  was  to  northward  and  east- 
ward, and  extended  many  miles  ;  that  they  had  been 
induced  to  leave  the  chase  and  come  home  in  con- 
sequence. During  the  remainder  of  the  day,  there 
was  little  or  no  wind,  but  the  gloom  and  smell  of 
fire  increased  rapidly.  At  night  the  breeze  sprang 
up,  and  soon  increased  to  a  gale  from  the  northeast, 
the  direction  in  which  the  fire  had  been  seen.  Mal- 
achi  and  Martin  were  up  several  times  in  the  night, 
for  they  knew  that  if  the  wind  continued  in  that 
quarter,  without  any  rain,  there  would  be  danger; 
still  the  fire  was  at  a  great  distance  ;  but  in  the 
morning  the  wind  blew  almost  a  hurricane,  and  be- 
fore twelve  o'clock  on  the  next  day,  the  smoke  waa 
borne  down  upon  them,  and  carried  away  in  masses 
over  the  lake. 

"Do  you  think  there  is  any  danger,  Martin,  from 
this  fire  ?"  said  Alfred. 

"Why,  sir,  that  depends  upon  circumstances;  if 
the  wind  were  to  blow  from  the  quarter  which  it 
now  does,  as  hard  as  it  does,  for  another  twenty-four 
hours,  we  shall  have  the  fire  right  down  upon  us." 

*'  But  still  we  have  so  much  clear  land  between 
the  forest  and  us,  that  I  should  think  the  house 
would  be  safe." 

"  I  don'i  know  that,  sir.  You  have  never  seen  the 
woods  a-fire  for  miles  as  I  have ;  if  you  had,  you 

5* 


04  the  settlers. 

would  know  what  it  was.  We  have  two  chances  ; 
one  is  that  we  may  have  torrents  of  rain  come  down 
with  the  gale,  and  the  other  is,  that  the  wind  may 
shift  a  point  or  two,  which  would  be  the  best  chance 
for  us  of  the  two." 

But  the  wind  did  not  shift,  and  the  rain  did  not 
descend,  and  before  the  evening  set  in,  the  fire  was 
within  two  miles  of  them,  and  distant  roaring  rent 
the  air;  the  heat  and  smoke  became  more  oppres- 
sive, and  the  party  were  under  great  alarm. 

As  the  sun  set,  the  wind  became  even  more  vio- 
lent, and  now  the  flames  were  distinctly  to  be  seen, 
and  the  whole  air  was  filled  with  myriads  of  sparks. 
The  fire  bore  down  upon  them  with  resistless  fury, 
and  soon  the  atmosphere  was  so  oppressive,  that 
they  could  scarcely  breathe  ;  the  cattle  galloped 
down  to  the  lake,  their  tails  in  the  air,  and  lowing 
with  fear.  There  they  remained,  knee-deep  in  the 
water,  and  huddled  together. 

"Well,  Malachi,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  "this  is 
very  awful.     What  shall  we  do  ?" 

"  Trust  in  God,  sir  ;  we  can  do  nothing  else,"  re- 
plied Malachi. 

The  flames  were  now  but  a  short  distance  from 
the  edge  of  the  forest ;  they  threw  themselves  up 
into  the  air  in  high  columns  ;  then,  borne  down  by 
the  wind,  burst  through  the  boughs  of  the  forest, 
scorching  here  and  there  on  the  way  the  trunks  of 
the  large  trees ;  while  such  a  torrent  of  sparks  and 
ignited  cinders  was  poured  down  upon  the  prairie, 
that,  added  to  the  suffocating  masses  of  smoke,  it 
was  impossible  to  remain  there  any  longer. 

"  You  must  all  go  down  to  the  punt  and  get  on 
board,"  said  Malachi.  "  There  is  not  a  moment  for 
delay  ;  you  will  be  smothered  if  you  remain  here. 
Mr.  Alfred,  do  you  and  Martin  pull  out  as  far  into  the 
lake  as  is  necessary  for  you  to  be  clear  of  the  smoke 
and  able  to  breathe.  Quick,  there  is  no  time  to  be 
lost,  for  the  gale  is  rising  faster  than  before." 

There  was,  indeed,  no  time  to  be  lost.     Mr.  Camp- 


THE    SETTLEKS.  55 

bell  took  his  wife  by  the  arm ;  Henry  led  the  girle, 
for  the  smoke  was  so  thick  that  they  could  not  see 
the  way.  Percival  and  Strawberry  followed.  Al- 
fred and  Martin  had  already  gone  down  to  get  the 
boat  ready.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  in  the  boat, 
and  pushed  off  from  the  shore.  The  boat  was  crowd- 
ed, but  being  flat-bottomed  she  bore  the  load  well. 
They  pulled  out  about  half  a  mile  into  the  lake,  be- 
fore they  found  themselves  in  a  less  oppressive  at- 
mosphere. Not  a  word  was  spoken  until  Martin  and 
Alfred  had  stopped  rowing. 

"And  old  Malachi  and  John,  where  are  they?" 
said  Mrs.  Campbell,  who,  now  that  they  were  clear 
of  the  smoke,  discovered  that  these  were  not  in  the 
boat. 

"  Oh,  never  fear  them,  ma'am,"  replied  Martin  ; 
"  Malachi  stayed  behind  to  see  if  he  could  be  of  use. 
He  knows  how  to  take  care  of  himself,  and  of  John 
too." 

"This  is  an  awful  visitation,"  said  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, after  a  pause.  "  Look,  the  whole  wood  is  now 
on  fire,  close  down  to  the  clearing.  The  house  must 
be  burnt,  and  we  shall  save  nothing." 

"  It  is  the  will  of  Cod,  my  dear  wife ;  and  if  we 
are  to  be  deprived  of  what  little  wealth  we  have,  we 
must  not  murmur,  but  submit  with  resignation.  Let 
us  thank  Heaven  that  our  lives  are  preserved." 

Another  pause  ensued  ;  at  last  the  silence  was 
broken  by  Emma. 

"  There  is  the  cow-house  on  fire — I  see  the  flames 
bursting  from  the  roof." 

Mrs.  Campbell,  whose  hand  was  on  that  of  her 
husband,  squeezed  it  in  silence.  It  was  the  com- 
mencement of  the  destruction  of  their  whole  prop- 
erty— all  their  labors  and  efforts  had  been  throAvn 
away.  The  winter  was  coming  on,  and  thev  w-ould 
be  houseless — what  would  become  of  them  ! 

All  this  passed  in  her  mind,  but  she  did  not  speak. 

At  this  moment  the  flames  of  the  fire  rose  up 


£6  THE   SETTLERS. 

straight  to  the  sky.  Martin  perceived  it,  and  jumped 
up  on  his  feet. 

"  There  is  a  lull  in  the  wind,"  said  Alfred. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Martin,  and  continued  holding  up 
his  hand,  "  I  felt  a  drop  of  rain.  Yes,  it's  coming  ; 
another  quarter  of  an  hour  and  we  may  be  safe." 

Martin  was  correct  in  his  observation  ;  the  wind 
had  lulled  for  a  moment,  and  he  had  fell  the  drops 
of  rain.  This  pause  continued  for  about  three  or  four 
minuies,  during  which  the  cow-house  burnt  furious- 
ly, but  the  ashes  and  sparks  were  no  longer  hurled 
down  on  the  prairie  ;  then  suddenly  the  wind  shifted 
to  the  southeast,  with  such  torrents  of  rain  as  almost 
to  blind  them.  So  violent  was  the  gust,  that  even 
the  punt  careened  to  it ;  but  Alfred  pulled  its  head 
round  smartly,  and  put  it  before  the  wind.  The  gale 
was  now  equally  strong  from  the  quarter  to  which  it 
had  changed  ;  the  lake  became  agitated  and  covered 
with  white  foam,  and  before  the  punt  reached  the 
shore  again,  which  it  did  in  a  few  minutes,  the  water 
washed  over  its  two  sides,  and  they  were  in  danger 
of  swamping.  Alfred  directed  them  all  to  sit  still, 
and  raising  the  blades  of  the  oars  up  into  the  air,  the 
punt  was  dashed  furiously  through  the  waves,  till  it 
grounded  on  the  beach. 

Martin  and  Alfred  jumped  out  into  the  water  and 
hauled  the  punt  further  before  they  disembarked  ; 
the  rain  still  poured  down  in  torrents,  and  they  were 
wet  to  the  skin  ;  as  they  landed,  they  were  met  by 
Malachi  and  John. 

"  It's  all  over,  and  all  is  safe  !"  exclaimed  Mala- 
chi. "It  was  touch  and  go,  that's  sartain  ;  but  all's 
safe,  except  the  cow-house,  and  that's  easily  put  to 
rights  again.  You  all  had  better  go  home  as  fast  as 
you  can,  and  get  to  bed." 

"Is  all  quite  safe,  do  you  think,  Malachi?"  said 
Mr.  Campbell. 

"  Yes,  sir,  no  fear  now ;  the  fire  hasn't  passed  the 
stream,  and  even  if  it  had,  this  rain  would  put  it 


THE   SETTLERS.  57 

out,  for  we  only  have  the  beginning  of  it ;  but  it  was 
a  near  thing,  that's  sartain." 

The  party  walked  back  to  the  house,  and  as  soon 
as  they  had  entered,  Mr.  Campbell  kneeled  down  and 
thanked  Heaven  for  their  miraculous  preservation. 
All  joined  heartily  in  the  prayer,  and,  after  they  had 
waited  up  a  few  minutes,  by  which  time  they  were 
satisfied  that  the  flames  were  fast  extinguishing  and 
they  had  nothing  more. to  fear,  they  took  off  their 
clothes,  and  retired  to  bed. 

The  next  morning  they  rose  early,  for  all  were 
anxious  to  ascertain  the  mischief  which  had  been  oc- 
casioned by  the  fire.  The  cow-house,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  stream,  was  the  only  part  of  the  prem- 
ises which  had  severely  suffered  ;  the  walls  were 
standing,  but  the  roof  was  burnt.  On  the  side  of  the 
stream  where  the  house  stood,  the  rails  and  many 
portions  of  the  buildings  were  actually  charred,  and, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  providential  change  of  the 
wind  and  the  falling  of  the  rain,  must  in  a  few  min- 
utes have  been  destroyed.  The  prairie  was  covered 
with  cinders,  and  the  grass  was  burnt  and  withered. 
The  forest  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream  to  a  great 
extent  was  burnt  down  ;  some  of  the  largest  trees 
still  remained,  throwing  out  their  blackened  arms, 
now  leafless  and  branchless,  to  the  sky,  but  they 
were  never  to  throw  forth  a  branch  or  leaf  again.  It 
was  a  melancholy  and  desolate  picture,  and  rendered 
still  more  so  by  the  heavy  rain  which  still  continued 
to  pour  down  without  intermission. 

As  they  were  surveying  the  scene,  Malachi  and 
Martin  came  to  them. 

"  The  stock  are  all  right,  sir,"  said  Martin  ;  "I 
counted  them,  and  there  is  not  one  missing.  There's 
no  harm  done  except  to  the  cow-house ;  on  the  con- 
trary, the  fire  has  proved  a  good  friend  to  us." 

"  How  so,  Martin  ?"  asked  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  Because  it  has  cleared  many  acres  of  ground, 
and  saved  us  much  labor.  All  on  the  other  side  of 
the  stream  is  now  cleared  away,  and  next  spring  we 


53  THE   SETTLERS. 

will  have  our  corn  between  the  stumps  ;  and  in  au- 
tumn, after  we  have  gathered  in,  the  harvest,  we 
will  cut  down  and  burn  the  tr,ees  which  are  now 
standing.  It  has  done  a  deal  of  good  to  the  prairie 
also,  we  shall  have  fine  herbage  there  next  spring." 

"  We  have  to  thank  Heaven  for  its  mercy,"  said 
Mr.  Campbell  ;  "  at  one  time  yesterday  evening,  I 
thought  we  were  about  to  be  rendered  destitute  in- 
deed, but  it  has  pleased  God  that  it  should  be  other- 
wise." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  observed  Malachi ;  "what  threatened 
your  ruin  has  turned  out  to  your  advantage.  Next 
year  you  will  see  everything  green  and  fresh  as  be- 
fore ;  and,  as  Martin  says,  you  have  to  thank  the  fire 
for  clearing  away  more  land  for  you  than  a  whole 
regiment  of  soldiers  could  have  done  in  two  or  three 
years." 

"  But  we  must  work  hard  and  get  in  the  corn  next 
spring,  for  otherwise  the  brushwood  will  grow  up 
so  fast,  as  to  become  a  forest  again  in  a  few  years." 

"I  never  thought  of  inquiring,"  said  Mary,  "how 
it  was  that  the  forest  could  have  taken  fire." 

"Why,  miss,"  replied  Malachi,  "in  the  autumn, 
when  everything  is  as  dry  as  tinder,  nothing  is  more 
easy.  The  Indians  light  their  fire,  and  do  not  take 
the  trouble  to  put  it  out,  and  that  is  generally  the 
cause  of  it ;  but  then  it  requires  wind  to  help  it." 

The  danger  that  they  had  escaped  made  a  serious 
impression  on  the  whole  party,  and  the  following 
day,  being  Sunday,  Mr.  Campbell  did  not  forget  to 
offer  up  a  prayer  of  thankfulness  for  their  preserva- 
tion. 

The  roof  of  the  cow-house  was  soon  repaired  by 
Alfred  and  Martin,  and  the  Indian  summer  passed 
away  without  any  further  adventure. 

The  day  after  the  fire,  a  despatch  arrived  from  the 
fort  to  ascertain  their  welfare,  and  the  colonel  and 
officers  were  greatly  rejoiced  to  learn  that,  compara- 
tively so  little  damage  had  been  done,  for  they  ex- 
pected to  find  that  the  family  had  been  burnt  out, 


THE   SETTLERS.  59 

and  had  made  arrangements  at  the  fort  to  receive 
them. 

Gradually  the  weather  became  cold  and  the  fires 
were  lighted,  and  a  month  after  the  evil  we  have 
described,  the  winter  again  set  in. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Once  more  was  the  ground  covered  with  snow  to 
to  the  depth  of  three  feet.     The  cattle  were  littered 
down  inside  the  enclosure  of  palisades  round  the 
cow-house;  the  sheep  were  driven  into  the  enclosed 
sheep-fold,  and  the  horses  were  put  into  a  portion 
of  the  barn  in  the  sheep-fold  which  had  been  parted 
off  for  them.     All  was  made  secure  and  every  prep- 
aration made  for  the  long  winter.     Although  there 
had  been  a  fall  of  snow,  the  severe  frost  had  not  yet 
come  on.     It  did,  however,  in  about  a  fortnight  af- 
terward, and  then,  according  to  the  wishes  of  the 
colonel,  six  oxen  were  killed  for  the  use  of  the  fort 
and  taken  there  by  the  horses  on  a  sledge  ;  this  was 
the  last  task  that  they  had  to  fulfil,  and  then  Alfred 
bade  adieu  to  the  officers  of  the  fort,  as  they  did  not 
expect  to  meet  again  till  the  winter  was  over.     Hav- 
ing experienced  one  winter,  they  were  more  fully 
fully  prepared  for  the  second  :  and  as  Malachi,  the 
Strawberry,  and  John,  were  now  regular  inmates  of 
the  house,  for  they  did  not  keep  a  separate  table, 
there  was  a  greater  feeling  of  security,    and   the 
monotony  and  dreariness  were  not  so  great  as  in  the 
preceding  winter:  moreover,  everything  was  now 
in  its  place,  and  they  had  more  to  attend  to — two 
circumstances  which  greatly  contributed  to  relieve 
the  ennui  arising  from  continual  confinement.     The 
hunting  parties  went  out  as  usual  ;  only  Henry,  and 
occasionally  Alfred,  remained  at  home  to  attend  to 
the  stock,  and  to  perform  oilier  offices  which  the 
increase  of  their  establishment  required.     The  new 


60  THE   SETTLERS. 

books  brought  by  Henry  from  Montreal,  and  which 
by  common  consent  had  been  laid  aside  for  the  win- 
ter's evenings,  were  now  a  great  source  of  amuse- 
ment, as  Mr.  Campbell  read  aloud  a  portion  of  them 
every  evening.  Time  passed  away  quickly,  as  it 
always  does  when  there  is  a  regular  routine  of  du- 
ties and  employment,  and  Christmas  came  before 
they  were  aware  of  its  approach. 

It  was  a  great  comfort  to  Mrs.  Campbell  that  she 
now  always  had  John  at  home,  except  when  he  was 
out  hunting,  and  on  that  score  she  had  long  dis- 
missed all  anxiety,  as  she  had  full  confidence  in 
Malachi ;  but  latterly  Malachi  and  John  seldom 
went  out  alone;  indeed,  the  old  man  appeared  to 
like  being  in  company,  and  his  misanthropy  had 
wholly  disappeared.  He  now  invariably  spent  his 
evenings  with  the  family  assembled  round  the  kitch- 
en fire,  and  had  become  much  more  fond  of  hearing 
his  own  voice.  John  did  not  so  much  admire  these 
evening  parties.  He  cared  nothing  for  new  books, 
or  indeed  any  books.  He  would  amuse  himself 
making  mocassins,  or  working  porcupine  quills  with 
the  Strawberry  at  one  corner  of  the  fire,  and  the 
others  might  talk  or  read,  it  was  all  the  same,  John 
never  said  a  word  or  appeared  to  pay  the  least  at- 
tention to  what  was  said.'  His  father  occasionally 
tried  to  make  him  learn  something,  but  it  was  use- 
less. He  would  remain  for  hours  with  his  book  he- 
fore  him,  but  his  mind  was  elsewhere.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, therefore,  gave  up  the  attempt  for  the  present, 
indulging  the  hope  that  when  John  was  older,  he 
would  be  more  aware  of  the  advantages  of  education, 
and  would  become  more  attentive.  At  present,  it 
was  only  inflicting  pain  on  the  boy  without  any  ad- 
vantage being  gained.  But  John  did  not  always  sit 
by  the  kitchen  fire.  The  wolves  were  much  more 
numerous  than  in  the  preceding  winter,  having  been 
attracted  by  the  sheep  which  were  within  the  pali- 
sade, and  every  night  the  howling  was  incessant. 
The  howl  of  a  wolf  was  sufficient  to  make  John 


THE   SETTLERS.  Gl 

seize  his  rifle  and  leave  ihe  house,  and  he  would  re- 
main in  the  snow  for  hours  till  one  came  sufficiently 
near  for  him  to  fire,  and  he  had  already  killed  seve- 
ral when  a  circumstance  occurred  which  was  the 
cause  of  great  uneasiness. 

John  was  out  one  evening  as  usual,  crouched 
down  within  tlie  palisades  and  watching  for  the 
wolves.  It  was  a  bright  starry  night,  but  there  was 
no  moon,  when  he  perceived  one  of  the  animals 
crawling  along  almost  on  its  belly,  close  to  the  door 
of  the  palisade  which  surrounded  the  house.  This 
surprised  him,  as  generally  speaking,  the  animals 
prowled  round  the  palisade  which  encircled  the 
sheep-fold,  or  else  close  to  the  pig-sties  which  were 
at  the  opposite  side  from  the  entrance  door.  John 
levelled  his  rifle  and  fired,  when  to  his  astonishment, 
the  wolf  appeared  to  spring  up  in  ihe  air  on  his  hind 
legs,  then  fall  down  and  roll  away.  The  key  of  the 
palisade  door  was  always  kept  within,  and  John 
determined  to  go  in  and  fetch  it,  that  he  might  as- 
certain whether  he  had  killed  the  animal  or  not. 
When  he  entered,  Malachi  said,  "Did  you  kill,  my 
boy?" 

"Don't  know,"  replied  John;  "come  for  the  key 
to  see." 

"I  don't  like  the  gate  being  opened  at  night, 
John,"  said  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  why  don't  you  leave  it 
as  you  usually  do  till  to-morrow  morning ;  that  wdl 
be  time  enough  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  if  it  was  a  wolf,"  replied  John. 

"  What  then,  boy,  tell  me  ?"  said  Malachi. 

"  Well,  I  think  it  was  an  Indian,"  replied  John  ; 
who  then  explained  what  had  passed. 

"  Well,  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  at 
all  events  the  gale  must  not  be  opened  to-night,  for 
if  it  was  an  Indian  you  fired  at,  there  is  more  than 
one  of  them  ;  we'll  keep  all  fast,  John,  and  see  what 
it  Avas  to-morrow." 

Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  girls  were  much  alarmed 
Vol.  II.— 6 


62  THE   SETTLEKS. 

at  this  event,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  they 
were  persuaded  to  retire  to  rest. 

"  We  will  keep  watch  to-night  at  all  events,"  said 
Malachi,  as  soon  as  Mrs.  Campbell  and  her  neices 
had  left  the  room.  "  The  boy  is  right,  I  have  no  doubt. 
It  is  the  Angry  Snake  and  his  party  who  are  prowl- 
ing about,  but  if  the  boy  has  hit  the  Indian,  which  1 
have  no  doubt  of,  they  will  make  off;  however,  it 
will  be  just  as  well  to  be  on  our  guard,  nevertheless. 
Martin  can  watch  here,  and  I  will  watch  in  the 
fold." 

We  have  before  observed  that  the  lodge  of  Mala- 
chi, Martin,  and  his  wife,  was  built  within  the  pali- 
sade of  the  sheep-fold,  and  that  there  was  a  passage 
from  the  palisade  round  the  house  to  that  which  sur- 
rounded the  sheep-fold,  which  passage  had  also  a 
palisade  on  each  side  of  it. 

"  I  will  watch  here,"  said  Alfred  ;  "  let  Martin  go 
home  with  you  and  his  wife." 

"  I  will  watch  with  you,"  said  John. 
"  Well,  perhaps  that  will  be  better,"  said  Mala- 
chi ;  "  two  rifles  are  better  than  one,  and  if  any  as- 
sistance is  required,  there  will  be  one  to  send  for  it." 
"But  what  do  you  think  they  would  do,  Mala- 
chi ?"  said  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  they  can  not  climb  the 
palisades." 

"  Not  well,  sir,  nor  do  I  think  they  would  attempt 
it  unless  they  had  a  large  force,  which  I  am  sure 
they  have  not  ;  no,  sir,  they  would  rather  endeavor 
to  set  fire  to  the  house  if  they  could,  but  that's  not 
so  easy  ;  one  thing  is  certain,  that  the  Snake  will 
try  all  he  can  to  get  possession  of  what  he  saw  in 
your  storehouse." 

♦'That  I  do  not  doubt,"  said  Alfred  ;  "  but  he  will 
not  find  it  quite  so  easy  a  matter." 

"They've  been  reconnoitring,  sir,  that's  the  truth 
of  it,  and  if  John  has  helped  one  of  them  to  a  bit  of 
lead,  it  will  do  good  ;  lor  it  will  prove  to  them  that 
we  are  on  the  alert,  and  make  ihem  careful  how  they 
come  near  the  house  again." 


THE   SETTLERS.  Q3 

After  a  few  minutes'  more  conversation,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, Henry,  and  Percival,  retired,  leaving  the  others 
to  watch.  Alfred  walked  home  with  Malachi  and 
his  party  to  see  if  all  was  right  at  the  sheep-fold,  and 
then  returned. 

The  night  passed  without  any  further  disturbance 
except  the  howling  of  the  wolves,  to  which  thej 
were  accustomed. 

_  The  next  morning  at  daybreak,  Malachi  and  Mar- 
tin came  to  the  house,  and  with  John  and  Alfred, 
they  opened  the  palisade  gate,  and  went  out  to  sur- 
vey the  spot  where  John  had  fired. 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Malachi  ;  "  it  was  an  Indian,  no 
doubt  of  it ;  here  are  the  dents  made  in  the  snow  by 
his  knees  as  he  crawled  along,  and  John  has  hit  him, 
for  here  is  the  blood.  Let's  follow  the  trail.  See, 
sir,  he  has  been  hard  hit;  there  is  more  blood  this 
way  as  we  go  on.  "  Ha  !"  continued  Malachi,  as  he 
passed  by  a  mound  of  snow  ;  "  here's  the  wolf-skin 
he  was  covered  up  with ;  then  he  is  dead  or  there- 
abouts, and  they  have  carried  him  off,  for  he  never 
would  have  parted  with  his  skin,  if  he  had  had  his 
senses  about  him." 

"  Yes,"  observed  Martin,  "  his  wound  was  mortal, 
that's  certain." 

They  pursued  the  track  till  they  arrived  at  the  for- 
est, and  then,  satisfied  by  the  marks  on  the  snow  that 
the  wounded  man  had  been  carried  away,  they  re- 
turned to  the  house,  when  they  found  the  rest  of  the 
family  dressed  and  in  the  kitchen.  Alfred  showed 
them  the  skin  of  the  wolf,  and  informed  them  of  what 
they  had  discovered. 

"  I  am  grieved  that  blood  has  been  shed,"  observed 
Mrs.  Campbell;  "I  wish  it  had  not  happened.  I 
have  heard   that  the  Indians  never  forgive  on  such 


occasions  " 


"Why,  ma'am,  they  are  very  revengeful,  that's 
certain,  but  still  they  won't  like  to  risk  loo  much. 
Ihis  has  been  a  lesson  to  them.  I  only  wish  it  had 
been  thp  Angry  Snake  himself  who  was  settled,  as 


64  THE    SETTLERS. 

then  we  should  have  no  more  trouble  or  anxiety 
about  them." 

"Perhaps  it  may  be,"  said  Alfred. 

'•No,  sir,  that's  not  likely;  it's  one  of  his  young 
men  ;  I  know  the  Indian  customs  well." 

It  was  some  time  before  the  alarm  occasioned  by 
this  event  subsided  in  the  minds  of  Mrs.  Campbell 
and  her  nieces;  Mr.  Campbell  also  thought  much 
about  it,  and  betrayed  occasional  anxiety.  The  par- 
ties went  out  hunting  as  before,  but  those  at  home 
now  felt  anxious  till  they  returned  from  the  chase. 
Time,  however,  and  not  hearing  anything  more  of 
the  Indians,  gradually  revived  their  courage,  and  be- 
fore the  winter  was  half  over  they  thought  little 
about  it.  Indeed,  it  had  been  ascertained  by  Malachi 
from  another  band  of  Indians  which  he  fell  in  with 
near  a  small  lake  where  they  were  trapping  beaver, 
that  the  Angry  Snake  was  not  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  but  had  gone  with  his  band  to  the  westward 
at  the  commencement  of  the  new  year.  This  satis- 
fied them  that  the  enemy  had  left  immediately  after 
the  attempt  which  he  had  made  to  reconnoitre  the 
premises. 

The  hunting  parties,  therefore,  as  we  said,  con- 
tinued as  before  ;  indeed,  they  were  necessary  for 
the  supply  of  so  many  mouths.  Percival,  who  had 
grown  very  much  since  his  residence  in  Canada,  was 
very  anxious  to  be  permitted  to  join  them,  which  he 
never  had  been  during  the  former  winter.  This  was 
very  natural.  lie  saw  his  younger  brother  go  out 
almost  daily,  and  seldom  return  without  having  been 
successful  ;  indeed,  John  was,  next  to  Malachi,  the 
best  shot  of  the  party.  It  was,  therefore,  very  an- 
noying to  Percival  that  he  should  always  be  detained 
at  home  doing  all  the  drudgery  of  the  house,  such  as 
feeding  the  pigs,  cleaning  knives,  and  other  menial 
work,  while  his  younger  brother  was  doing  the  duty 
of  a  man.  To  Percival's  repeated  entreaties,  objec- 
tions were  constantly  raised  by  his  mother:  they 
could  net  spare  him,  he  was  not  accustomed  to  walk 


THE    SETTLERS.  65 

in  snow-shoes.  Mr.  Campbell  observed  that  Perci- 
val  became  dissatisfied  and  unhappy,  and  Alfred  took 
his  part  and  pleaded  for  him.  Alfred  observed  very 
truly,  that  the  Strawberry  could  occasionally  do  Per- 
cival's  work,  and  that  if  it  could  be  avoided,  be 
should  not  be  cooped  up  at  home  in  the  way  that  he 
was;  and,  Mr.  Campbell  agreeing  with  Alfred,  Mrs. 
Campbell  very  reluctantly  gave  her  consent  to  his 
occasionally  going  out. 

"  Why,  aunt,  have  you  such  an  objection  toPerci- 
val  going  out  with  the  hunters?"  said  Mary.  "  It 
must  be  very  trying  to  him  to  be  always  detained  at 
home." 

"  I  feel  the  truth  of  what  you  say,  my  dear  Mary," 
said  Mrs.  Campbell,  "and  I  assure  you  it  is  not  out 
of  selfishness,  or  because  we  shall  have  more  work 
to  do,  that  I  wish  him  to  remain  with  us  ;  but  I 
have  an  instinctive  dread  that  some  accident  will 
happen  to  him,  which  I  can  not  overcome,  and  there 
is  no  arguing  with  a  mother's  fears  and  a  mother's 
love." 

"You  were  quite  as  uneasy,  my  dear  aunt,  when 
John  first  went  out ;  you  were  continually  in  alarm 
about  him,  but  now  you  are  perfectly  at  ease,"  re- 
plied Emma. 

"  Very  true,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell  ;  "  it  is,  perhaps, 
a  weakness  on  my  part  which  I  ought  to  get  over  ; 
but  we  are  all  liable  to  such  feelings.  I  trust  in  God 
there  is  no  real  cause  for  apprehension,  and  that  my 
reluctance  is  a  mere  weakness  and  folly-  But  I  see 
the  poor  boy  has  long  pined  at  being  kept  at  home  ; 
for  nothing  is  more  irksome  to  a  high-couraged  and 
spirited  boy  as  he  is.  I  have,  therefore,  given  my 
consent,  because  I  think  it  is  my  duty  ;  still  the  feel- 
ing remains,  so  let  us  say  no  more  about  it,  my  dear 
girls,  for  the  subject  is  painful  to  me." 

"My  dear  aunt,  did  you  not  say  that  you  would 
talk  to  Strawberry  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and 
try  if  you  could  not  persuade  her  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian ?     She  is  very  serious  at  prayers,  J  observe ;  and 

6* 


66  THE   SETTLERS. 

appears,  now  that  she  understands  English,  to  be 
very  attentive  to  what  is  said." 

"Yes,  my  dear  Emma,  it  is  my  intention  so  to  do 
very  soon,  but  I  do  not  like  to  be  in  too  great  a  hur- 
ry. A  mere  conforming  to  the  usages  of  our  reli- 
gion would  be  of  little  avail,  and  I  fear  that  too 
manv  of  our  good  missionaries,  in  their  anxiety  to 
make  converts,  do  not  sufficiently  consider  this  point. 
Religion  must  proceed  from  conviction,  and  be  seat- 
ed in  the  heart ;  the  heart,  indeed,  must  be  changed, 
not  mere  outward  forms  attended  to." 

"What  is  the  religion  of  the  Indians,  my  dear 
aunt  ?"  said  Mary. 

"One  which  makes  conversion  the  more  difficult. 
Jt  is  in  many  respects  so  near  what  is  right,  that  In- 
dians do  not  easily  perceive  the  necessity  of  change. 
They  believe  in  one  God,  the  fountain  of  all  good ; 
they  believe  in  a  future  state  and  in  future  rewards 
and  punishments.  You  perceive  they  have  the  same 
foundation  as  we  have,  although  they  know  not 
Christ,  and,  having  very  incomplete  notions  of  duty, 
have  a  very  insufficient  sense  of  their  manifold 
transgressions  and  offences  in  God's  sight,  and  con- 
sequently have  no  idea  of  the  necessity  of  a  media- 
tor. Now,  it  is  perhaps  easier  to  convince  those 
who  are  entirely  wrong,  such  as  worship  idols  and 
false  gods,  than  those  who  approach  so  nearly  to  the 
truth.  But  1  have  had  many  hours  of  reflection 
upon  the  proper  course  to  pursue,  and  I  do  intend  to 
have  some  conversation  with  her  on  the  subject,  in 
a  very  short  time.  1  have  delayed  because  I  con- 
sider it  absolutely  necessary  that  she  should  be  per- 
fectly aware  of  what  I  say,  before  I  try  to  alter  her 
belief.  Now,  the  Indian  language,  although  quite 
sufficient  fur  Indian  wants,  is  poor  and  has  not  the 
same  copiousness  as  ours,  because  they  do  not  re- 
quire the  words  to  explain  what  we  term  abstract 
ideas.  It  is,  therefore,  impossible  to  explain  the 
mysteries  of  our  holy  religion  to  one  who  does  not 
well  understand  our  language.     I  think,  however, 


THE   SETTLERS.  67 

that  the  Strawberry  now  begins  to  comprehend  suf- 
ficiently for  me  to  make  the  first  attempt.  I  say  first 
attempt,  because  I  have  no  idea  of  making  a  con- 
vert in  a  week,  or  a  month,  or  even  in  six  months. 
All  I  can  do  is  to  exert  my  best  abilities,  and  then 
trust  to  God,  who,  in  his  own  good  time  will  en- 
lighten her  mind  to  receive  his  truth." 

The  next  day  the  hunting  party  went  out,  and 
Percival,  to  his  great  delight,  was  pepmitted  to  ac- 
company it.  As  they  had  a  long  way  to  go,  for  they 
had  selected  the  hunting  ground,  they  set  off  early 
in  the  morning,  before  daylight,  Mr.  Campbell  hav- 
ing particularly  requested  that  they  would  not  re- 
turn home  late. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  party  had  proceeded  many  miles  before  they 
arrived  at  the  spot  where  Malachi  thought  that  they 
would  fall  in  with  some  venison,  which  was  the 
principal  game  that  they  sought.  It  was  not  till 
near  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  that  they  stood  on 
the  ground  which  had  been  selected  for  the  sport. 
It  was  an  open  part  of  the  forest,  and  the  snow  lay 
in  large  drifrs,  but  here  and  there  on  the  hill-sides 
the  grass  was  nearly  bare,  and  the  deer  were  able, 
by  scraping  with  their  feet,  to  obtain  some  food. 
They  were  all  pretty  well  close  together  when  they 
arrived.  Percival  and  Henry  were  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  behind,  for  Percival  was  not  used  to  the 
snow-shoes,  and  did  not  jjet  on  so  well  as  the  others. 
Malachi  and  the  rest  with  him  halted,  that  Henry 
and  Percival  might  come  up  with  them,  and  then, 
after  they  had  recovered  their  breath  a  little,  he  said, 

"Now,  you  see  there's  a  fine  lot  of  deer  here, 
Master  Percival,  but  as  you  know  nothing  about 
woodcraft,  and  may  put  us  all  out,  observe  "what  I 
say  to  you.     The  animals  are  not  onlv  cute  of  hear- 


68  THE   SETTLERS. 

ing  and  seeing,  but  they  are  more  cute  of  smell,  and 
they  can  scent  a  man  a  mile  off  if  the  wind  blows 
down  to  them;  so  you  see  it  would  be  useless  to  at- 
tempt to  get  near  to  them  if  we  do  not  get  to  the  lee 
side  of  them  without  noise  and  without  being  seen. 
Now,  the  wind  has  been  from  the  eastward,  and  as 
we  are  to  the  southward,  we  must  get  round  by  the 
woods  to  the  westward,  before  we  go  upon  the  open 
ground,  and  then,  Master  Percival,  you  must  du  as 
we  do,  and  keep  behind,  to  watch  our  motions.  If 
we  come  to  a  swell  in  the  land,  you  must  not  run 
up,  or  even  Avalk  up,  as  you  might  show  yourself; 
the  deer  might  be  on  the  other  side,  within  twenty 
yards  of  you  ;  but  you  must  hide  yourself,  as  you 
will  see  that  we  shall  do,  and  when  we  have  found 
them,  I  will  put  you  in  a  place  where  you  shall  have 
your,  shot  as  well  as  we.  Do  you  understand,  Master 
Percival  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  do,  and  I  shall  stop  behind,  and  do  as 
you  tell  me." 

"Well  then,  now,  we  will  go  back  into  the  thick 
of  the  forest  till  we  get  to  leeward,  and  then  Ave 
shall  see  whether  you  will  make  a  hunter  or  not." 

The  whole  party  did  as  Malachi  directed,  and  for 
more  than  an  hour  they  walked  through  the  wood, 
among  the  thickest  of  the  trees,  that  they  might  not 
be  seen  by  the  animals.  At  last  they  arrived  at  the 
spot  which  Malachi  desired,  and  then  they  changed 
their  course,  eastward  toward  the  more  open  ground, 
where  they  expected  to  find  the  deer. 

As  they  entered  upon  the  open  ground,  they 
moved  forward  crouched  to  the  ground,  Malachi 
and  Martin  in  the  advance.  When  in  the  hollows, 
they  all  collected  together,  but  on  ascending  a  swell 
of  the  land,  it  was  either  Malachi  or  Martin  who 
first  crept  up,  and,  looking  over  the  summit,  gave 
notice  to  the  others  to  come  forward.  This  was 
continually  repeated  for  three  or  four  miles,  when 
Martin  having  raised  his  head  just  above  a  swell, 
made  a  signal  to  them  who  were  below  that  the  deal 


THE   SETTLERS.  69 

were  in  sight.  After  a  moment  or  two  reconnoi- 
tring, he  went  down  and  informed  them  that  there 
were  twelve  or  thirteen  head  of  deer  scraping  up 
the  snow  about  one  hundred  yards  a-head  of  them, 
upon  another  swell  of  the  land;  but  that  they  ap- 
peared to  be  alarmed  and  anxious,  as  if  they  had  an 
idea  of  danger  being  near. 

Malachi  then  again  crawled  up  to  make  his  ob- 
servations, and  returned. 

"It  is  sartain,"  said  he,  "that  they  are  flurried 
about  something  ;  they  appear  just  as  if  they  had 
been  hunted,  and  yet  that  is  not  likely.  We  must 
wait  and  let  them  settle  a  little,  and  find  out  wheth- 
er any  other  parties  have  been  hunting  them." 

They  waited  about  ten  minutes,  till  the  animals 
appeared  more  settled,  and  then,  by  altering  their 
position  behind  the  swell,  gained  about  twenty-five 
yards  of  distance.  Malachi  told  each  party  which 
animal  to  aim  at,  and  they  fired  nearly  simultane- 
ously. Three  of  the  beasts  fell,  two  others  were 
wounded,  the  rest  of  the  herd  bounded  off  like  the 
wind.  They  all  rose  from  behind  the  swell  and  ran 
forward  to  their  prey.  Alfred  had  fired  at  a  fine 
buck  which  stood  apart  from  the  rest,  and  somewhat 
farther  off ;  it  was  evident  that  the  animal  was  badly 
wounded,  and  Alfred  had  marked  the  thicket  into 
which  it  had  floundered  ;  but  the  other  deer  which 
was  wounded  was  evidently  slightly  hurt,  and  there 
was  little  chance  of  obtaining  it,  as  it  bounded  away 
after  the  rest  of  the  herd.  They  all  ran  up  to  Avhere 
the  animals  lay  dead,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  re- 
loaded their  rifles,  Alfred  and  Martin  went  on  the 
track  of  the  one  that  was  badly  wounded.  They 
had  forced  their  way  through  the  thicket  for  some 
fifty  yards,  guided  by  the  track  of  the  animal,  when 
they  started  back  at  the  loud  growl  of  some  beast. 
Alfred,  who  was  in  advance,  perceived  that  a  puma 
(catamount,  or  painter,  as  it  is  usually  termed)  had 
taken  possession  of  the  deer,  and  was  lying  over  the 
carcase.     He  levelled  his  rifle  and  fired  ,  the  beast, 


70  THE    SETTLER3. 

although  badly  wounded,  immediately  sprang  at  him 
and  seized  him  by  the  shoulder.  Alfred  was  sink- 
ing under  the  animal's  weight  and  from  the  pain  he 
was  suffering,  when  Martin  came  to  his  rescue,  and 
put  his  rifle  ball  through  the  head  of  the  beast, 
which  fell  dead. 

"Are  you  much  hurt,  sir  ?•'  said  Martin. 

"  No,  "not  much,"  replied  Alfred  ;  "  at  least  1  think 
not,  but  my  shoulder  is  badlv  torn,  and  1  bleed 
freely." 

Malachi  and  the  others  now  came  up,  and  per- 
ceived what  had  taken  place.  Alfred  had  sunk 
down  and  was  sitting  on  the  ground  by  the  side  of 
the  dead  animals. 

"  A  painter !"  exclaimed  Malachi  ;  "  well  I  didn't 
think  we  should  see  one  so  far  wesi.  Are  you  hurt, 
Mr.  Alfred?" 

"  Yes,  a  little,"  replied  Alfred,  fainlly. 

Malachi  and  Martin,  without  saying  another 
word,  stripped  off  Alfred's  hunting-coat,  and  then 
discovered  that  he  had  received  a  very  bad  wound  in 
the  shoulder  from  the  teeth  of  the  beast,  and  that 
his  side  was  also  torn  by  the  animal's  claws. 

"  John,  run  for  some  water,"  said  Malachi ;  "  you 
are  certain  to  find  some  in  the  hollow." 

John  and  Percival  both  hastened  in  search  of  wa- 
ter, while  Malachi,  and  Martin,  and  Henry,  tore 
Alfred's  shirt  into  strips  and  bound  up  the  wounds, 
so  as  to  stop  in  a  great  measure  the  flow  of  blood. 
As  soon  as  this  was  done  and  he  had  drunk  the  wa- 
ter brought  to  him  in  John's  hat,  Alfred  felt  revived. 

"  I  will  sit  down  for  a  little  longer,"  said  he,  "  and 
then  we  will  get  home  as  fast  as  we  can.  Martin, 
look  after  the  game,  and  when  you  are  ready  I  will 
get  up.  What  a  tremendous  heavy  brute  that  was ; 
I  could  not  have  stood  against  him  for  a  minute 
longer,  and  I  had  no  hunting-knife." 

"It's  a  terrible  beast,  sir,"  replied  Malachi.  "1 
don't  know  that  I  ever  saw  one  larger;  they  are 
more  than  a   match   for   one   man,  sir,  and   never 


THE   SETTLERS.  71 

should  be  attempted  single-handed,  for  they  are  so 
hard  to  kill." 

"  Wbere  did  my  ball  hit  him  ?"  said  Alfred. 

"Here,  sir,  under  the  shoulder,  and  well  placed 
too.  It  must  have  gone  quite  close  to  his  heart  ;  but 
unless  you  hit  them  through  the  brain  or  through 
the  heart,  they  are  certain  to  make  their  dying 
spring.  That's  an  ugly  wound  on  your  shoulder, 
and  will  put  a  stop  to  your  hunting  for  five  or  six 
weeks,  I  expect.  However,  it's  well  that  it's  no 
worse." 

"  I  feel  quite  strong  now,"  replied  Alfred. 

"Another  ten  minutes,  sir  ;  let  John  and  and  me 
whip  off  his  skin,  for  we  must  have  it  to  show,  if 
we  have  all  the  venison  spoiled.  Mr.  Henry,  tell 
Martin  only  to  take  the  prime  pieces  and  not  to 
mind  the  hides,  for  we  shall  not  be  able  to  carry 
much.  And  tell  him  to  be  quick,  Mr.  Henry,  for  it 
will  not  do  for  Mr.  Alfred  to  remain  till  his  arm  gets 
stiff.     We  have  mmiy  miles  to  get  home  again." 

In  the  course  of  ten  minutes,  Malachi  and  John 
had  skinned  the  puma,  and  Martin  made  his  appear- 
ance with  the  haunches  of  two  of  the  deer,  which 
he  said  was  as  much  as  they  well  could  carry,  and 
they  all  set  off  on  their  return  home. 

Alfred  had  not  proceeded  far  when  he  found  him- 
self in  great  pain,  the  walking  upon  snow-shoes  re- 
quiring so  much  motion  as  to  open  the  wounds  and 
make  them  bleed  asain  ;  but  Malachi  gave  him  his 
assistance,  and  having  procured  him  some  more  wa- 
ter, thev  continued  their  route. 

After  a  time  the  wounds  became  more  stiff,  and 
Alfred  appeared  to  be  more  oppressed  by  the  pain  ; 
they  proceeded,  however,  as  fast  as  they  could,  and 
at  nightfall  were  not  far  from  home.  But  Alfred 
moved  with  great  difficulty  :  he  had  become  very 
faint,  so  much  so,  that  Martin  requested  John  would 
throw  down  the  venison,  and  hasten  before  them  to 
he  house  to  request  Mr.  Campbell  to  send  some 
Tandy  or  other  cordial  to  support  Alfred,  who  was 


72  THE   SETTLERS. 

scarcely  able  to  move  on  from  weakness  and  loss  of 
blood.  As  they  were  not  more  than  a  mile  from  the 
house,  John  was  soon  there,  and  hastening  in  at  the 
door,  he  gave  his  message  in  presence  of  Mrs. 
Campbell  and  his  cousins,  who  were  in  a  state  of 
great  distress  at  the  intelligence.  Mr.  Campbell 
went  to  his  room  for  the  spirits,  and  as  soon  as  he 
brought  it  out,  Emma  seized  her  bonnet,  and  said 
that  she  would  accompany  John. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  had  no  time  to  raise  any 
objection  if  they  were  inclined,  for  Emma  was  out 
of  the  door  in  a  moment,  with  John  at  her  heels. 
But  Emma  quite  forgot  that  she  had  no  snow-shoes, 
and  before  she  had  gone  half  the  distance,  she  found 
herself  as  much  fatigued  as  if  she  had  walked 
miles  ;  and  she  sank  deeper  and  deeper  in  the  snow 
every  minute  that  she  advanced.  At  last  they  ar- 
rived, and  found  the  party:  Alfred  was  lying  insen- 
sible on  the  snow,  and  the  others  making  a  litter  of 
branches,  that  they  might  carry  him  to  the  house. 

A  little  brandy  poured  down  his  throat  brought 
Alfred  to  his  senses;  and  as  he  opened  his  eyes,  he 
perceived  Emma  hanging  over  him. 

"  Dear  Emma,  how  kind  of  you,"  said  he,  attempt- 
ing to  rise. 

"  Do  not  move,  Alfred  ;  they  will  soon  have  the 
litter  ready,  and  then  you  will  be  carried  to  the  house. 
It  is  not  far  off." 

"  I  am  strong  again  now,  Emma,"  replied  Alfred. 
"  But  you  must  not  remain  here  in  the  cold.  See, 
the  snow  is  falling  again." 

"  I  must  remain  now  till  they  are  ready  to  carry 
you,  Alfred,  for  I  dare  not  go  back  by  myself." 

By  this  time  the  litter  was  prepared,  and  Alfred 
placed  on  it.  Malachi,  Henry,  Martin,  and  John, 
took  it  up. 

"  Where  is  Percival  ?"  said  Emma. 

"  He's  behind  a  little  way,"  replied  John.  "  The 
snow-shoes  hurt  him,  and  he  could  not  walk  so  fast. 
He  will  be  here  in  a  minute." 


THE   SETTLERS.  73 

They  carried  Alfred  to  the  house  where  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  and  Mary  were  waiting  at  the  door 
in  great  anxiety  ;  poor  Emma  was  quite  knocked  up 
by  the  time  that  they  arrived,  and  went  into  her  own 
room. 

Alfred  was  laid  on  his  bed,  and  his  father  then  ex- 
amined his  wounds,  which  he  considered  very  dan- 
gerous, from  the  great  laceration  of  the  flesh.  Mr 
Campbell  dressed  them,  and  then  they  left  Alfred  to 
the  repose  which  he  so  much  required.  The  state 
of  Alfred  so  occupied  their  minds  and  their  attention, 
that  nothing  and  nobody  else  was  thought  of  for  the 
first  hour.  Emma  too  had  been  taken  very  ill  soon 
after  she  came  in,  and  required  the  attention  of  Mrs. 
Campbell  and  Mary.  It  was  not  until  they  were 
about  to  sit  down  to  supper  that  Mr.  Campbell  said, 
"Why,  where's  Percival  ?" 

"Percival!  Is  he  not  here  ?"  was  the  question 
anxiously  uttered  by  all  the  parly  who  had  been 
hunting. 

"  Percival  not  here  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Campbell, 
starting  up.     "  Where,  where  is  my  child  ?" 

"He  was  just  behind  us,"  said  John;  "he  sat 
down  to  alter  his  snow-shoes :  the  ties  hurt  him." 

Malachi  and  Martin  ran  out  of  doors  in  consterna- 
tion ;  they  knew  the  danger,  for  the  snow  was  now 
falling  in  such  heavy  flakes,  that  it  was  impossible 
to  see  or  direct  their  steps  two  yards  in  any  direction. 

"  The  boy  will  be  lost  for  sartain,"  said  Malachi 
to  Martin  ;  "  if  he  has  remained  behind  till  this  fall 
of  snow,  he  never  will  find  his  way,  but  wander 
about  till  he  perishes." 

"  Yes,"  said  Martin,  "  he  has  but  a  poor  chance, 
that  is  the  truth  ;  I  would  have  given  my  right  arm 
this  had  not  happened." 

"  Misfortune  never  comes  single,"  replied  Mala- 
chi ;  "  what  can  we  do  ?  Madam  Campbell  will  be 
beside  herself,  for  she  loves  that  boy  beyond  all 
measure." 

"  It's  useless  our  going  out,"  observed  Martin : 

Vol    II.— 7 


74  THE   SETTLERS. 

'*  we  should  never  find  him,  and  only  lose  ourselves  ; 
but  still  Ave  had  better  go  back,  and  say  that  we  will 
try.  At  all  events  we  can  go  to  the  edge  of  the 
forest,  and  halloo  every  minute  or  so  ;  if  the  boy  is 
still  on  his  legs,  it  will  guide  him  to  us." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Malachi,  "  and  we  may  light  a  pine 
torch;  it  might  be  of  some  use.  Well,  then,  let's 
go  in,  and  tell  them  that  we  are  going  in  search  of 
the  boy;  as  long  as  madam  knows  Ave  are  seeking 
him,  she  will  not  lose  hope,  and  hope  will  keep  up 
her  spirits  for  the  time,  till  she  is  better  prepared  for 
her  loss." 

There  wa6  much  good  sense  and  knowledge  of  the 
human  heart  in  the  observation  of  Malachi,  who, 
although  he  was  aware  that  all  search  would  be 
useless,  could  not  resolve  to  destroy  at  once  all  hope 
in  the  mind  of  the  afflicted  and  anxious  mother. 

They  went  in,  and  found  Mrs.  Campbell  weeping 
bitterly,  supported  by  her  husband  and  Mary.  They 
stated  that  they  were  going  to  search  for  the  boy, 
and  bring  him  home  if  they  could,  and,  taking  three 
or  four  pine  torches,  one  of  which  they  lighted,  they 
set  off  for  the  edge  of  the  forest,  where  they  remained 
for  two  hours  with  the  light,  shouting  at  intervals  ; 
but  the  snow  fell  so  fast,  and  the  cold  was  so  intense, 
for  the  wind  blew  fresh  from  the  northward,  that 
they  could  remain  no  longer.  They  did  not,  how- 
ever, return  to  the  house,  but  went  to  their  own 
lodge  to  recover  themselves,  and  remained  there  till 
daylight.  They  then  went  out  again  ;  the  snow 
storm  had  ceased,  and  the  morning  was  clear  and 
bright  ;  they  went  back  into  the  forest  (on  the  road 
by  which  they  had  come  home)  for  three  or  four 
miles,  but  the  snow  now  fallen  had  covered  all  the 
tracks  which  they  had  made  the  day  before,  and  was 
in  many  places  several  feet  deep.  They  proceeded 
to  where  Percival  was  last  seen  by  John,  who  had 
described  the  spot  very  exactly  ;  they  looked  every- 
where about,  made  circuits  round  and  round,  in 
hopes  o(  perceiving  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  peeping 


THE   SETTLERS.  75 

out  above  the  snow,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be 
discovered,  and  after  a  search  of  four  or  live  hours, 
they  returned  to  the  house.  They  found  Mr.  Camp- 
bell and  Henry  in  the  kitchen,  "for  Mrs.  Campbell 
was  in  such  a  state  of  anxiety  and  distress,  that  she 
was  in  her  room  attended  by  Mary.  Mr.  Campbell 
perceived  by  their  countenances  that  they  brought 
no  satisfactory  tidings.  Malachi  shook  his  head 
mournfully,  and  sat  down. 

"  Do  you  think  that  my  poor  boy  is  lost,  Malachi  1" 
said  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  He  is,  I  fear,  sir  ;  he  must  have  sat  down  to  rest 
himself,  and  has  been  overpowered  and  fallen  asleep. 
He  has  been  buried  in  the  snow,  and  he  will  not 
wake  till  the  day  of  resurrection." 

Mr.  Campbell  covered  his  face  with  his  hands, 
and  after  a  time  exclaimed,  "  His  poor  mother  !" 

After  a  few  minutes,  he  rose  and  went  into  Mrs. 
Campbell's  room. 

"What  of  my  child,  my  dear,  dear  Percival  ?" 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away," 
replied  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  your  child  is  happy." 

Mrs.  Campbell  wept  bitterly;  and  having  thus 
given  vent  10  the  feelings  of  nature,  she  became 
gradually  more  calm  and  resigned  ;  her  habitually 
devout  spirit  sought  and  found  relief  in  the  God  of 
all  comfort. 


"8  THE   SETTLERS 


CHAPTER  X- 

Thus  in  one  short  day  was  the  family  of  Mr. 
Campbell  changed  from  a  house  of  joy  to  one  of 
mourning.  And  true  was  the  remark  of  Malachi, 
that  misfortunes  seldom  come  single,  for  now  they 
had  another  cause  of  anxiety.  Emma,  by  her  im- 
prudent exposure  to  the  intense  chill  of  the  night 
air  and  the  wetting  of  her  feet,  was  first  taken  with 
a  violent  cold,  which  was  followed  by  a  fever,  which 
became  more  alarming  every  day.  Thus,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  loss  of  one  of  their  children,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Campbell  were  threatened  with  being  deprived  of  two 
more;  for  iheir  nieces  were  regarded  as  such,  and 
Alfred  was  in  a  very  precarious  state.  The  wounds 
had  assumed  such  an  angry  appearance,  that  Mr. 
Campbell  was  fearful  of  mortification.  This  accu- 
mulated distress  had,  however,  one  good  effect  upon 
them.  The  danger  of  losing  Emma  and  Alfred  so 
occupied  their  minds  and  their  attention,  that  they 
had  not  time  to  bewail  the  loss  of  Percival ;  and  even 
Mrs.  Campbell,  in  her  prayers,  was  enabled  to  re- 
sign herself  to  the  Almighty's  will  in  taking  away 
her  child,  if  it  would  but  please  him  to  spare  the 
two  others  who  were  afflicted.  Long  and  tedious 
were  the  hours,  the  days,  and  the  weeks,  that  passed 
away  before  either  of  them  could  be  considered  in  a 
state  of  convalescence  ;  but  her  prayers  were  heard, 
and  as  the  winter  closed,  their  recovery  was  no  lon- 
ger doubtful.  A  melancholy  winter  it  had  been  to 
them  all,  but  the  joy  of  once  more  seeing  Emma  re- 
sume her  duties,  and  Alfred  supported  on  cushions, 
able  to  be  moved  into  the  sitting-room,  had  a  very 
exhilarating  effect  upon  their  spirits.     True,  there 


THE    SETTLERS.  77 

was  no  longer  the  mirth  and  merriment  that  once 
reigned,  but  there  was  a  subdued  gratitude  to  Heaven, 
which,  if  it  did  not  make  them  at  once  cheerful,  at 
least  prevented  anything  like  repining  or  complaint. 
Grateful  for  the  mercies  vouchsafed  to  them  in  hav- 
ing Alfred  and  Emma  spared  to  them,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Campbell  consoled  themselves  in  reference  to  Per- 
cival,  with  the  reflection,  that  at  so  early  an  age, 
before  he  had  lived  to  be  corrupted  by  the  world,  to 
die  was  gain — and  that  their  dear  boy  had  become, 
through  Divine  grace,  an  inhabitant  of  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven.  By  degrees  (he  family  became  again 
cheerful  and  happy  ;  the  merry  laugh  of  Emma  once 
more  enlivened  them,  Alfred  again  r-^overed  his 
former  health  and  spirits,  and  Mrs.  Campbell  could 
bear  the  mention  of  the  name  of  Percival,  and  join 
in  the  praise  of  the  amiable  child. 

The  spring  now  came  on,  the  snow  gradually  dis- 
appeared, and  the  ice  was  carried  down  the  rapids, 
and  once  more  left  the  blue  lake  clear ;  the  cattle 
were  turned  out  to  feed  off  the  grass  the  year  before 
left  on  the  prairie,  all  the  men  were  busy  in  prepar- 
ing to  put  in  the  seed.  As  soon  as  the  snow  was 
gone,  Malachi,  Martin,  and  Alfred,  without  saying 
a  word  to  Mrs.  Campbell,  had  gone  into  the  forest, 
and  made  every  search  fur  the  body  of  poor  Percival, 
but  without  success,  and  it  was  considered  that  he 
had  wandered  and  died  on  some  spot  which  they 
could  not  discover,  or  that  the  wolves  had  dug  his 
remains  out  of  the  snow,  and  devoured  them.  Not 
a  trace  of  him  could  anywhere  be  discovered  ;  and 
the  search  was,  after  a  few  days,  discontinued.  The 
return  of  the  spring  had  another  good  effect  upon  the 
spirits  of  the  party  ;  for,  with  the  spring  came  on 
such  a  variety  of  work  to  be  done,  that  they  had  not 
a  moment  to  spare.  They  had  now  so  many  acres 
for  corn,  that  they  had  scarcely  time  to  get  through 
all  the  preparatory  work,  and  fortunate  it  was  that 
Alfred  was  so  much  recovered  that  he  could  join  in 
the  labor.     Malachi,  John,  and  even  Mr.  Campbell, 

7* 


78  THE   SETTLERS. 

assisted,  and  at  last  the  task  was  completed.  Then 
they  had  a  communication  with  the  fort,  and  letters 
from  Quebec,  Montreal,  and  England:  there  were 
none  of  any  importance  from  England,  but  one  from 
Montreal  informed  Mr.  Campbell  that,  agreeably  to 
contract,  the  engineer  would  arrive  in  the  course  of 
the  month,  with  the  bateaux  containing  the  machi- 
nery, and  that  the  water-mill  would  be  erected  as 
soon  as  possible.  There  was  also  a  letter  from  Eng- 
land, which  gave  them  great  pleasure;  it  was  from 
Captain  Sinclair  to  Alfred,  informing  him  that  he  had 
arranged  all  his  business  with  his  guardian,  and  that 
he  should  rejoin  his  regiment  and  be  at  the  fort  early 
in  the  spring,  as  he  should  sail  in  the  first  vessel 
which  left  England.  He  stated  how  delighted  he 
should  be  at  his  return,  and  told  him  to  say  to  Emma 
that  he  had  not  found  an  English  wife,  as  she  had 
prophesied,  but  was  coming  back  as  heart-whole  as 
he  went.  Very  soon  afterward  they  had  a  visit  from 
Colonel  Forster  and  some  of  the  officers  of  the  gar- 
rison. The  Colonel  offered  Mr.  Campbell  a  party 
of  soldiers  to  assist  in  raising  the  mill,  and  the  offer 
was  thankfully  accepted. 

"We  were  very  much  alarmed  about  you  last 
autumn  when  the  woods  were  on  fire,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell," said  the  colonel ;  "but  I  perceive  that  it  has 
been  of  great  advantage  to  you.  You  have  now  a 
large  quantity  of  cleared  land  sown  with  seed,  and 
if  you  had  possessed  sufficient  means,  might  have 
had  much  more  put  in,  as  I  perceive  all  the  land  to 
the  northwest  is  cleared  by  the  fire." 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell;  "but  my  allot- 
ment, as  you  know,  extends  along  the  beach,  and  we 
have  sown  the  seed  as  far  from  the  beach  as  the 
property  extends." 

"  Then  I  should  recommend  you  to  write  to  Que- 
bec, and  apply  for  another  grant  on  each  side  of  the 
Stream  ;  indeed,  at  the  back  of  and  equal  to  what 
you  now  have." 


THE   SETTLERS.  79 

"But  if  I  do,  I  have  not  the  means  of  working  the 
land." 

"No,  not  with  your  present  force,  I  grant;  but 
there  are  many  emigrants  who  would  be  glad  of 
work,  and  who  would  settle  here  upon  favorable 
conditions." 

"The  expense  would  be  very  great,"  said  Mr. 
Campbell. 

"It  would  ;  but  the  return  would  indemnify  you. 
The  troops  at  the  fort  would  take  all  the  flour  off 
your  hands  if  you  had  ever  so  much." 

"  I  am  not  inclined  at  present  to  speculate  much 
further,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell,  "  but  I  shall  see  how 
this  year  turns  out,  and  if  I  find  that  I  am  success- 
ful, I  will  then  decide." 

"  Of  course,  you  will  but  act  prudently.  You  can 
send  down  to  your  agent  at  Quebec,  and  ascertain 
what  would  be  the  probable  terms  of  the  men  you 
might  require.  But  there  is  another  way,  which  is 
to  give  them  the  land  to  cultivate,  and  the  seed,  and 
to  receive  from  them  a  certain  portion  of  corn  in 
return,  as  rent ;  that  is  very  safe,  and  your  land  will 
be  all  gradually  brought  into  cultivation,  beside  the 
advantage  of  having  neighbors  about  you.  You 
might  send  one  of  your  sons  down  to  Montreal,  and 
arrange  all  that." 

"  I  certainly  will  write  to  my  agent  and  institute 
inquiries,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell,  "  and  many  thanks 
to  you  for  the  suggestion  :  I  have  still  a  few  hun- 
dreds at  the  bank  to  dispose  of,  if  necessary." 

About  three  weeks  after  this  conversation,  the  ba- 
teaux arrived  with  the  engineer  and  machinery  for 
the  flour  and  saw  mills  ;  and  now  the  settlement 
again  presented  a  lively  scene,  being  thronged  with 
the  soldiers  who  were  sent  from  the  fort.  The  engi- 
neer was  a  very  pleasant  intelligent  young  English- 
man, who  had  taken  up  his  profession  in  Canada, 
and  was  considered  one  of  the  most  able  in  the  col- 
ony. The  site  of  the  mill  was  soon  chosen,  and  now 
the  axes  igain  resounded  through  the  woods,  as  the 


80  THE   SETTLERS. 

trees  were  felled  and  squared  under  his  directions 
Alfred  was  constantly  with  the  engineer,  superin- 
tending the  labor  of  the  men,  and  contracted  a  great 
intimacy  with  him  ;  indeed,  that  gentleman  was 
soon  on  such  a  footing  with  the  whole  family,  as  to 
be  considered  almost  as  one  of  them,  for  he  was  very 
arousing,  very  well  bred,  and  had  evidently  received 
every  advantage  of  education.  Mr.  Campbell  found 
that  Mr.  Emmerson,  for  such  was  his  name,  could 
give  him  every  particular  relative  to  the  emigrants 
who  had  come  out,  as  he  was  so  constantly  travel- 
ling about  the  country,  and  was  in  such  constant 
communication  with  them. 

"  You  are  very  fortunate  in  your  purchase,"  said 
he  to  Mr.  Campbell,  "  the  land  is  excellent,  and  you 
have  a  good  water  power  in  the  stream,  as  well  as 
convenient  carriage  by  the  lake.  Fifiy  years  hence 
this  property  will  be  worth  a  large  sum  of  money." 

"I  want  very  much  to  get  some  more  emigrants 
to  settle  here,"  observed  Mr.  Campbell.  "  It  would 
add  to  our  security  and  comfort ;  and  I  have  not  suf- 
ficient hands  to  cultivate  the  land  which  has  been 
cleared  by  the  fire  of  last  autumn.  If  not  cultivated 
in  a  short  time,  it  will  be  all  forest  again." 

"  At  present  it  is  all  raspberries,  and  very  good 
ones  too,  are  they  not,  Mr.  Emmerson?"  said  Emma. 

"  Yes,  miss,  most  excellent,"  replied  he  ;  "  but  you 
are  aware  that  whenever  you  cut  down  trees  here, 
and  do  not  hoe  the  ground  to  sow  it,  raspberry  bushes 
grow  up  immediately." 

"  Indeed,  I  was  not  aware  of  it." 

"  Such  is  the  case,  nevertheless.  After  the  rasp- 
berries, the  seedling  hardwood  trees  spring  up,  and  as 
Mr.  Campbell  says,  they  soon  grow  into  a  forest 
again." 

"  I  do  not  think  that  you  would  have  much  trouble 
in  getting  emigrants  to  come  here,  Mr.  Campbell,  but 
the  difficulty  will  be  in  persuading  them  to  remain. 
Their  object  in  coming  out  to  this  country  is  to  obtain 
land  of  their  own,  and  become  independent.     Many 


THE   SETTLERS.  81 

of  them  have  not  the  means  to  go  on,  and,  as  a  tem- 
porary resource,  are  compelled  to  act  as  laborers ; 
but  the  moment  that  they  get  sufficient  to  purchase 
for  themselves,  they  will  leave  you." 

"That  is  very  natural;  but  I  have  been  thinking 
of  obtaining  a  larger  grant  than  I  have  now,  and  I 
wish  very  much  that  I  could  make  an  arrangement 
with  some  emigrants.  The  colonel  says  that  I 
might  dose  by  supplying  them  with  seed,  and  taking 
corn  in  return  as  rent." 

"  That  would  not  be  a  permanent  arrangement," 
replied  Mr.  Emmerson.  "  How  much  land  do  you 
p/opose  applying  for  ?" 

"  Six  hundred  acres." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  think  it  would  meet  the  views  of 
both  parties  if  you  were  to  offer  terms  like  the  fol- 
lowing— that  is,  divide  the  land  into  lots  of  one  hun- 
dred acres  each,  and  allow  them  to  cultivate  for  you 
the  fifty  acres  that  adjoin  your  own  land,  with  the 
right  of  purchasing  the  other  fifty  as  their  own  prop- 
erty, as  soon  as  they  can.  You  will  then  obtain 
three  hundred  acres  of  the  most  valuable  land,  in 
addition  to  your  present  farm,  and  have  fixed  neigh- 
bors around  you,  even  after  they  are  enabled  to  pur- 
chase the  other  fifty." 

"I  think  that  a  very  good  arrangement,  Mr.  Em- 
merson, and  I  would  gladly  consent  to  it." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  shall  have  plenty  of  opportunities 
this  summer  of  making  the  proposal  to  the  emigrants, 
and  if  I  find  any  parties  who  seem  likely  to  prove 
advantageous  as  neighbors,  I  will  let  you  know." 

"  And  with  such  expectations  I  will  apply  for  the 
additional  grant,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  "  for  to  have 
neighbors  in  this  solitude,  I  would  almost  make  them 
a  present  of  the  land." 

"I  suspect  that  in  a  few  years  you  will  have 
neighbors  enough,  without  resorting  to  such  an  ex- 
pedient," replied  Mr.  Emmerson,  "  but  according  to 
your  present  proposal,  they  may  be  better  selected, 


82  THE   SETTLERS. 

and  you  may  make  terms  which  will  prevent  any 
nuisances." 

The  works  at  the  mill  proceeded  rapidly,  and 
before  the  hay-harvest  the  mill  was  complete.  Alfred 
was  very  careful,  and  paid  every  attention  to  what 
was  going  on,  and  so  did  Martin,  that  they  might 
understand  the  machinery.  This  was  very  simple. 
Mr.  Emmerson  tried  the  mill,  and  found  it  to  answer 
well.  He  explained  everything  to  Alfred,  and  put 
the  mill  to  work,  that  he  might  be  fully  master  of  it. 
As  it  was  a  fortnight  after  the  mill  was  at  work 
before  Mr.  Emmerson  could  obtain  a  passage  back  to 
Montreal,  Alfred  and  Martin  worked  both  mills 
during  that  time,  and  felt  satisfied  that  they  required 
no  further  instruction.  The  soldiers,  at  the  request 
of  Mr.  Campbell,  were  allowed  to  remain  till  the 
hay-harvest,  and  as  soon  as  the  hay  was  gathered  in, 
they  were  paid  and  returned  to  the  fort.  Captan 
Sinclair,  who,  from  his  letter,  had  been  expected  to 
arrive  much  sooner,  came  just  as  the  soldiers  had  left 
the  farm.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  he  was  re- 
ceived most  warmly.  He  had  a  great  deal  to  tell 
them,  and  had  brought  out  a  great  many  presents; 
those  for  poor  little  Percival  he  kept  back,  of  course. 
Emma  and  Mary  were  delighted  to  have  him  again 
as  a  companion  and  to  resume  their  walks  with 
him  ;  a  fortnight  thus  passed  away  very  quickly, 
when  his  leave  of  absence  expired,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  return  to  the  fort.  Previous,  however,  to 
his  going  away,  he  requested  a  private  interview 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  in  which  he  slated  his 
exact  position  and  his  means,  and  requested  their 
sanction  to  his  paying  his  addresses  to  Mary.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Campbell,  who  had  already  perceived  the 
attentions  he  had  shown  to  her,  did  not  hesitate  to 
express  their  satisfaction  at  his  request,  and  their 
best  wishes  for  his  success ;  and  having  so  done, 
they  left  him  to  forward  his  own  suit,  which  Captain 
Sinclair  did  not  fail  to  do  that  very  evening.  Mary 
Percival  was  too  amiable  and  right-minded  a  girl 


THE   SETTLERS.  83 

not  at  once  to  refuse  or  accept  Captain  Sinclair.  As 
she  had  long  been  attached  to  him,  she  did  not  deny 
that  such  was  the  case,  and  Captain  Sinclair  was 
overjoyed  at  his  success. 

"I  have  spoken  frankly  to  you,  Captain  Sinclair," 
jaid  Mary;  "I  have  not  denied  that  you  have  an 
interest  in  my  affections  ;  but  I  must  now  request 
you  to  let  me  know  what  are  your  future  views." 

"To  do  just  what  you  wish  me  to  do." 

•'I  have  no  right  to  advise,  and  no  wish  to  per- 
suade. I  have  my  own  path  of  duty  pointed  out  to 
<ne,  and  from  that  I.can  not  swerve." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?" 

"It  is,  that  under  present  circumstances,  I  must 
not  think  of  leaving  my  uncle  and  aunt.  1  have 
been  bred  up  and  educated  by  them  ;  I  bave  as  an 
orphan  shared  their  prosperity  ;  I  have  a  deep  debt 
of  gratitude  to  pay,  and  I  can  not  consent  to  return 
to  England  to  enjoy  all  the  advantages  which  your 
means  will  afford,  while  they  remain  in  their  present 
isolated  position.  Hereafter  circumstances  may  alter 
my  opinion,  but  such  it  is  at  present." 

"  But  if  I  am  willing  to  remain  with  you  here  to 
share  your  fortunes,  will  not  that  satisfy  you  ?" 

"  No,  certainly  not ;  for  that  would  be  allowing 
you  to  do  injustice  to  yourself.  I  presume  you  do 
not  mean  to  quit  your  profession  ?" 

"  I  had  no  such  intention  ;  but  still,  if  I  have  to 
choose  between  you  and  the  service,  I  shall  not 
hesitate." 

"  1  trust  you  will  not  hesitate,  but  determine  to 
adhere  steadily  to  your  profession  for  the  present, 
Captain  Sinclair.  It  will  not  do  for  you  to  give  up 
your  prospects  and  chance  of  advancement  for  even 
such  a  woman  as  me,"  continued  Mary,  smiling; 
"  nor  must  you  think  of  becoming  a  backwoodsman 
for  a  pale-faced  girl." 

"  Then,  what  am  I  to  do  if,  as  you  say,  you  will 
not  leave  your  uncle  and  aunt?" 

"  Wait,  Captain  Sinclair ;   be  satisfied  that  you 


84  THE   SETTLERS. 

have  my  affections,  and  wait  patiently  till  circum* 
stances  may  occur  which  will  enable  me  to  reward 
your  affection  without  being  guilty  of  ingratitude 
toward  those  to  whom  I  owe  so  much.  On  such 
terms  I  accept  you,  and  accept  you  willingly  ;  but 
you  must  do  your  duty  to  yourself,  while  I  discharge 
my  duty  toward  my  uncle  and  aunt." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right,  Mary,"  replied  Captain 
Sinclair  ;  "  only  I  do  not  see  any  definite  hope  of  our 
being  united.  Can  you  give  me  any  prospect  to 
cheer  me  ?" 

"  We  are  both  very  young,  Captain  Sinclair,"  ob- 
served Mary;  "  in  a  year  or  two,  my  uncle  and  aunt 
may  be  less  lonely  and  more  comfortable  than  at 
present.  In  a  year  or  two  the  war  may  end,  and 
you  may  honorably  retire  upon  half-pay  ;  in  fact,  so 
many  chances  are  there  which  are  hidden  from  us 
and  come  upon  us  so  unexpectedly,  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  say  what  may  take  place.  And  if,  after 
waiting  patiently  for  some  time,  none  of  these 
chances  do  turn  up,  you  have  yet  another  in  your 
favor." 

"  And  what  is  that,  Mary  ?" 

"  That,  perhaps,  I  may  be  tired  of  waiting  myself," 
replied  Mary,  with  a  smile. 

"Upon  that  chance  then  I  will  live  in  hope," 
replied  Captain  Sinclair ;  "  if  you  will  only  reward 
me  when  you  consider  that  my  faithful  service  de- 
mands it,  I  will  serve  as  long  as  Jacob  did  for 
Rachel." 

"  Do  so,  and  you  shall  not  be  deceived  at  thfl  pnd 
of  your  services,  as  he  was,"  replied  Mary;  "'but 
now  let  us  return  to  the  house." 

Captain  Sinclair  departed  the  day  afterward,  iuite 
satisfied  with  Mary's  resolution. 


THE   SETTLERS.  85 


CHAPTER  XL 

As  Henry  had  predicted,  during  the  autumn  the 
whole  family  were  fully  employed.  The  stock  had 
increased  very  much,  they  had  a  large  number  of 
young  calves  and  heifers,  and  the  sheep  had  lambed 
down  very  favorably.  Many  of  the  stock  were  now 
turned  into  the  bush,  to  save  the  feed  on  the  prairies. 
The  sheep  with  their  lambs,  the  cows  which  were 
in  milk,  and  the  young  calves,  only  were  retained. 
This  gave  them  more  leisure  to  attend  to  the  corn 
harvest,  which  was  now  ready,  and  it  required 
all  their  united  exertions  from  daylight  to  sunset 
to  get  it  in,  for  they  had  a  very  large  quantity  of 
ground  to  clear,  it  was,  however,  got  in  very  suc- 
cessfully, and  all  stacked  in  good  order.  Then  came 
the  thrashing  of  the  wheat,  which  gave  them  ample 
employment ;  and  as  soon  as  it  could  be  thrashed 
out,  it  was  taken  to  the  mill  in  the  wagon  and  ground 
down,  for  Mr.  Campbell  had  engaged  to  supply  a 
certain  quantity  of  flour  to  the  fort  before  the  winter 
set  in.  They  occasionally  received  a  visit  from  Cap- 
tain Sinclair  and  the  colonel,  and  some  other  offi- 
cers, for  now  they  had  gradually  become  intimate 
with  many  of  them.  Captain  Sinclair  had  confided 
to  the  colonel  his  engagement  to  Mary  Percival,  and 
in  consequence  the  colonel  allowed  him  to  visit  at 
the  farm  as  often  as  he  could,  consistently'  with  his 
duty.  The  other  officers  who  came  to  see  them, 
perceiving  how  much  Captain  Sinclair  engrossed  the 
company  of  Mary  Percival,  were  very  assiduous  in 
their  attentions  to  Emma,  who  laughed  with  and  at 
them,  and  generally  contrived  to  give  them  some- 

Vol.  II.— 8 


66  THE    SETTLERS. 

thing  to  do  for  her  during  their  visit,  as  well  as  to 
render  their  attentions  serviceable  to  the  household. 
On  condition  that  Emma  accompanied  them,  they 
were  content  to  go  into  the  punt  and  fish  for  hours: 
and  indeed,  all  the  lake-fish  which  were  caught  this 
year  were  taken  by  the  officers.  There  were  several 
very  pleasant  young  men  among  them,  and  they 
were  always  well  received,  as  they  added  very  much 
to  the  society  at  the  farm. 

Before  the  winter  set  in  the  flour  was  all  ready,  and 
sent  to  the  fort,  as  were  the  cattle  which  the  colonel 
requested,  and  it  was  very  evident  that  the  colonel 
was  right  when  he  said  that  the  arrangement  would 
be   advantageous  to  both  parties.      Mr.  Campbell, 
instead  of  drawing  money  to  pay,  this  year  for  the 
first  time  received  a  bill  on  the  government  to  a  con- 
siderable amount  for  the  flour  and  cattle  furnished  to 
the  troops  ;  and  Mrs.  Campbell's  account  for  fowls, 
pork,   &c,   furnished   to   the    garrison,  was   by  no 
no  means  to  be  despised.     Thus,  by  the  kindness  of 
others,  his  own  exertions,  and  a  judicious  employ- 
ment of  his  small  capital,  Mr.  Campbell  promised  to 
be  in  a  few  years  a  wealthy  and  independent  man. 
As  soon  as  the  harvest  was  in,  Malachi  and  John, 
who  were  of  no  use  in  thrashing  out  the  corn,  re- 
newed their  hunting  expeditions,  and  seldom  returned 
without  venison.     The  Indians  had  not  been  seen  by 
Malachi  during  his  excursions,  nor  any  trace  of  their 
having  been  in  the  neighborhood  ;  all  alarm,  there- 
fore, on  that  account  was  now  over,  and  the  family 
prepared  to  meet  the  coming  winter  with  all  the 
additional  precautions  which  the  foregoing  had  ad- 
vised them  of.     But  during  the  Indian  summer  they 
received  letters  from  England,  derailing,  as  usual, 
the  news  relative  to  friends  with"  whom  they  had 
been   in'.imate;   also    one  from  Quebec,  informing 
Mr.   Campbell    that  his  application   for   the   extra 
grant  of  land  was  consented  to  ;  and  another  from 
Montreal,  from  Mr.  Emmerson,  stating  that  he  had 
offered  terms  to  two  families  of  settlers  who  bore 


THE    SETTLERS.  87 

very  good  characters,  and  if  they  were  accepted  hy 
Mr.  Campbell,  the  parties  would  join  them  at  the 
commencement  of  the  ensuing  spring. 

This  was  highly  gratifying  to  Mr.  Campbell,  and 
as  the  terms  were,  with  a  slight  variation,  such  as 
he  had  proposed,  he  immediately  wrote  to  Mr.  Em- 
merson,  agreeing  to  the  terms,  and  requesting  that 
the  bargain  might  be  concluded.  At  the  same  time 
that  the  colonel  forwarded  the  above  letters,  he  wrote 
to  Mr.  Campbell  to  say  that  the  inferior  of  the  frrt 
required  a  large  quantity  of  plank  for  repairs,  that 
he  was  authorized  to  take  them  from  Mr.  Campbell, 
at  a  certain  price,  if  he  could  afford  to  supply  them 
on  those  terms,  and  have  them  ready  by  the  follow- 
ing spring.  This  was  another  act  of  kindness  on  the 
part  of  the  colonel,  as  it  would  now  give  employ- 
ment to  the  saw-mill  for  the  winter,  and  it  was  du- 
ring the  winter,  and  at  the  time  that  the  snow 
was  on  the  ground,  that  they  could  easily  drag  the 
timber  after  it  was  felled  to  the  saw-mill.  Mr. 
Campbell  wrote  an  answer,  thanking  the  colonel  for 
his  offer,  which  he  accepted,  and  promised  to  have 
the  planks  ready  by  the  time  the  lake  was  again  open. 

At  last  the  winter  set  in,  with  its  usual  fall  of 
snow.  Captain  Sinclair  took  his  leave  for  a  long 
time,  much  to  the  sorrow  of  all  the  family,  who  were 
warmly  attached  to  him.  It  was  now  arranged  that 
the  only  parties  who  were  to  go  on  the  hunting  ex- 
cursions should  be  Malachi  and  John,  as  Henry  had 
ample  employment  in  the  barns  ;  and  Martin  and 
Alfred,  in  felling  timber,  and  dragging  up  the  stems 
to  the  saw-mill,  would,  with  attending  to  the  mil/  as 
well,  have  their  whole  time  taken  up.  Such  were 
the  arrangements  out  of  doors,  and  now  that  they 
had  lost  the  services  of  poor  Percival,  and  the  duties 
to  attend  to  in-doors  were  so  much  increased,  Mrs. 
Campbell  and  the  girls  were  obliged  to  call  in  the 
assistance  of  Mr.  Campbell  whenever  he  could  be 
spared  from  the  garden,  which  was  his  usual  occu- 
pation.   Thus  glided  on  the  third  winter  in  quiet  and 


88  THE   SETTLERS. 

security  ;  but  in  full  employment,  and  with  so  much 
to  do  and  attend  to,  that  it  passed  very  rapidly. 

It.  was  in  the  month  of  February,  when  the  snow 
was  very  heavy  on  the  ground,  that  one  day  Malachi 
went  up  to  the  mill  to  Alfred,  whom  he  found  alone 
attending  the  saws,  which  were  in  full  activity  ;  for 
Martin  was  squaring  out  the  timber  ready  to  be 
sawed  at  about  one  hundred  yards'  distance. 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  you  alone,  sir,"  said  Malachi, 
"for  I  have  something  of  importance  to  tell  you  of, 
and  I  do  not  like  at  present  that  anybody  else  should 
know  anything  about  it." 

"  What  is  it,  Malachi  ?"  inquired  Alfred. 

"Why,  sir,  when  I  was  out  hunting  yesterday,  I 
went  round  to  a  spot  where  I  had  left  a  couple  of 
deer-hides  last  week,  that  I  might  bring  them  home, 
and  I  found  a  letter  stuck  to  them  with  a  couple  of 
thorns." 

"A  letter,  Malachi!" 

"  Yes,  sir,  an  Indian  letter.  Here  it  is."  Malachi 
then  produced  a  piece  of  birch  bark,  of  which  the 
opposite  drawing  is  a  fac-simile. 

"  Well,"  said  Alfred,  "  it  may  be  a  letter,  but  I 
confess  it  is  all  Greek  to  me.  I  certainly  do  not  see 
why  you  wish  to  keep  it  a  secret.     Tell  me." 

f  Well,  sir,  I  could  not  read  one  of  your  letters 
half  so  well  as  I  can  this  ;  and  it  contain  news  of  the 
greatest  importance.  It's  the  Indian  way  of  writing, 
and  I  know  also  whom  it  comes  from.  A  good  action 
is  never  lost,  they  say,  and  I  am  glad  to  find  that 
there  is  some  gratitude  in  an  Indian." 

"  You  make  me  very  impatient,  Malachi,  to  know 
what  it  means  ;  tell  me  from  whom  do  you  think  the 
letter  comes  ?" 

"Why,  sir,  do  you  see  this  mark  here  ?"  said  Mal- 
achi, pointing  to  the  one  lowest  down  on  the  piece  of 
bark. 

"  Yes  ;  it  is  a  foot,  is  it  not  ?" 

"  Exactly,  sir ;  now,  do  you  know  whom  it  cornea 
from  ?" 


THE  SETTLERS 


89 


"I  can't  say  I  do." 

"  Do  you  remember  two  winters  back  our  picking 
up  the  Indian  woman,  and  carrying  her  to  the  house, 
and  vour  father  curing  her  sprained  ankle?" 

"  Certainly  ;  is  it  from  her  ?" 

"Yes,  sir  ;  and  you  recollect  she  said  that  she  br- 
longed  to  the  band  which  followed  the  Ansrry  Snake." 

"  1  remember  it  very  well ;  but  now,  Malachi,  read 
me  the  letter  at  once,  for  I  am  very  impatient  to 
know  what  she  can  have  to  say." 

"I  will,  Mr.  Alfred  :  now,  sir,  there  is  the  sun 
more  than  half  up,  which  with  them  points  out  it  is 
the  setting  and  not  the  rising  sun;  the  setting  sun 
therefore  means  to  the  westward." 

"  Very  good,  that  is  plain,  I  think." 

"  There  are  twelve  wigwams,  that  is  twelve  days' 
journey  for  a  warrior,  which  the  Indians  reckon  a* 

8* 


90  THE   SETTLEB9. 

about  fifteen  miles  a  day.     How  much  does  fifteen 
times  twelve  make,  sir  I 

"  One  hundred  and  eighty,  Malachi." 

"Well,  sir,  then  that  is  to  say  that  it  is  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles  off,  or  thereabouts.  Now,  this 
first  figure  is  a  chief,  for  it  has  an  eagle's  feather  on 
the  head  of  it,  and  the  snake  before  it  is  his  totem, 
1  the  Angry  Snake,'  and  the  other  six  are  the  number 
of  the  band  ;  and  you  observe,  that  the  chief  and 
the  first  figure  of  the  six  have  a  gun  in  their  hands, 
which  is  to  inform  us  that  they  have  only  two  rifles 
among  them." 

"Very  true  ;  but  what  is  that  little  figure  follow- 
ing the  chief  with  his  arms  behind  him  ?" 

"  There  is  the  whole  mystery  of  the  letter,  sir, 
without  which  it  were  worth  nothing.  You  perceive 
that  the  little  figure  has  a  pair  of  snow-shoes  over 
it." 

"Yes,  Ida" 

"Well,  that  little  figure  is  your  brother  Percival, 
whom  we  supposed  to  be  dead." 

"Merciful  heaven  !  is  it  possible  ?"  exclaimed  Al- 
fred ;  "  then  he  is  alive." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  it,  sir,"  replied  Malachi; 
"  and  now  I  will  put  the  whole  letter  together.  Your 
brother  Percival  has  been  carried  off  by  the  Angry 
Snake  and  his  band  and  has  been  taken  to  some 
place  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  to  the  westward, 
and  this  information  comes  from  the  Indian  woman 
who  belongs  to  the  band,  and  whose  life  was  pre- 
served by  your  kindness.  I  don't  think,  Mr.  Alfred, 
that  any  while  person  could  have  written  a  letter 
more  plain  and  more  to  the  purpose." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Malachi  ;  but  the  news  has  so 
overpowered  me,  I  am  so  agitated  with  joy  and  anx- 
iety of  mind,  that  I  hardly  know  what  I  say.    Perci- 


1 


val  alive  !  we'll  have  him,  if  we  have  to  go  one 


&v 


thousand  miles  and  beat  two  thousand  Indians.  Oh, 
how  happy  it  will  make  my  mother  !  But  what  are 
we  to  do,  Malachi  ?  tell  me,  I  beseech  you." 


THE   SETTLERS.  91 

"We  must  do  nothing,  sir,"  replied  Malachi. 

"  Nothing,  Malachi !"  replied  Alfred,  with  surprise. 

"  No,  sir  ;  nothing  at  present,  at  all  events.  We 
nave  the  information  that  the  boy  is  alive,  at  least  it 
is  presumed  so;  but  of  course  the  Indians  do  not 
know  that  we  have  received  such  information;  if 
they  did,  the  woman  would  be  killed  immediately. 
Now,  sir,  the  first  question  we  must  ask  ourselves 
is,  why  they  have  carried  off  the  boy  ;  for  it  would 
be  no  use  carrying  off  a  little  boy  in  that  manner 
without  some  object." 

"  It  is  the  very  question  that  I  was  going  to  put 
to  you,  Malachi." 

"  Then,  sir,  I'll  answer  it  to  the  best  of  my  knowl- 
edge and  belief.  It  is  this  :  the  Angry  Snake  came 
to  the  settlement,  and  saw  our  stores  of  powder  and 
shot,  and  everything  else.  He  would  have  attacked 
us  last  winter  if  he  had  found  an  opportunity  and  a 
chance  of  success.  One  of  his  band  was  killed,  which 
taught  him  that  we  were  on  the  watch,  and  he  failed 
in  that  attempt:  he  managed,  however,  to  pick  up 
the  boy  when  he  was  lagging  behind  us,  at  the  time 
that  you  were  wounded  by  the  painter,  and  carried 
him  off,  and  he  intfnds  to  drive  a  bargain  for  his 
being  restored  to  us.     That  is  my  conviction." 

"  I  ha'v«  no  doubt  but  that  you  are  right,  Mala- 
«     chi,"  said  Alfred,  after  a  pause.     "Well,  we  must 
•  make  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  give  him  what  he 
asks." 

"  Not  so,  sir;  if  we  did,  it  would  encourage  him 
to  steal  again." 

"What  must  we  do,  then?" 

"Punish  him  if  we  can  ;  at  all  events,  we  must 
wait  at  present,  and  do  nothing.  Depend  upon  it, 
we  shall  have  some  communication  made  to  us 
through  him  that  the  boy  is  in  their  possession,  and 
will  be  restored  upon  certain  conditions — probably 
this  spring.  It  will  then  be  time  to  consider  what 
is  to  be  done." 

"I  believe  you  are  right,  Malachi." 


92  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  I  hope  to  circumvent  him  yet,  sir,"  replied  Mal- 
achi  :  "  but  we  shall  see." 

"  Well  ;  but,  Malachi,  are  we  to  let  this  be  known 
to  anybody,  or  keep  it  a  secret?" 

"Well,  sir,  I've  thought  of  that;  we  must  only 
let  Martin  and  the  Strawberry  into  the  secret ;  and  I 
would  tell  them,  because  they  are  almost  Indians,  as 
it  were  ;  they  may  have  some  one  coming  to  them, 
and  there's  no  fear  of  their  telling.  Martin  knows 
better,  and  as  for  the  Strawberry,  she  is  as  safe  as  if 
she  didn't  know  it." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right  ;  and  still  what  delight 
it  would  give  my  father  and  mother!" 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  all  the  family  too,  I  have  no  doubt, 
for  the  first  hour  or  two  after  you  have  told  them; 
but  Avhat  pain  it  would  give  them  for  months  after- 
ward. '  Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick,'  as 
my  father  used  to  read  out  of  the  Bible,  and  that's 
the  truth,  sir.  Only  consider  how  your  father,  and 
particularly  your  mother,  would  fret  and  pine  during 
the  whole  time,  and  what  a  state  of  anxiety  they 
would  be  in  ;  they  would  not  eat  or  sleep.  No,  no, 
sir ;  it  would  be  a  cruelty  to  tell  them,  and  it  must 
not  be.  Nothing  can  be  done  till  the  spring,  at  all 
events,  and  we  must  wait  till  the  messenger  comes 
to  us." 

"  You  are  right,  MalacL. ,  then  do  as  you  say, 
make  the  communication  to  Martin  and  his  wife — 
and  I  will  keep  the  secret  as  faithfully  as  they  will." 

"It's  a  great  point  our  knowing  whereabouts  the 
boy  is,"  observed  Malachi  ;  "for  if  it  is  necessary  to 
make  a  party  to  go  for  him,  we  know  what  direction 
to  go  in.  And  it  is  also  a  great  point  to  know  the 
strength  of  the  enemy,  as  now  we  shall  know  what 
force  we  must  take  with  us  in  case  it  is  necessary  to 
recover  the  lad  by  force  or  stratagem.  All  this  we 
gained  from  the  letter,  and  shall  not  learn  from  anv 
messenger  sent  to  us  by  the  Angry  Snake,  whos* 
head  I  hope  to  bruise  before  I've  done  with  him." 


THE   SETTLERS.  93 

"If  I  meet  him,  one  of  us  shall  fall,"  observed 
Alfred. 

"  No  doubt,  sir,  no  doubt,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  but 
if  we  can  retake  the  boy  by  other  means,  so  much 
the  better.  A  man,  bad  or  good,  has  but  one  life, 
and  God  gave  it  to  him.  It  is  not  for  his  fellow- 
creature  to  take  it  away  unless  from  necessity.  I 
hope  to  have  the  boy  without  shedding  of  blood." 

"I  am  willing  to  have  him  back  upon  any  terms, 
Malachi:  and,  as  you  say,  if  we  can  do  it  without 
shedding  of  blood,  all  the  better;  but  have  him  I 
will,  if  I  have  to  kill  a  hundred  Indians." 

"  That's  right,  sir,  that's  right ;  only  let  it  be  the 
last  resort ;  recollect  that  the  Indian  seeks  the  pow- 
der and  ball,  not  the  life  of  the  boy ;  and  recollect 
that  if  we  had  not  been  so  careless  as  to  tempt  him 
with  the  sight  of  what  he  values  so  much,  he  never 
would  have  annoyed  us  thus." 

"  That  is  true  ;  well  then,  Malachi,  it  shall  be  as 
you  propose  in  everything." 

The  conversation  was  here  finished ;  Alfred  and 
all  those  who  were  possessed  of  the  secret  never  al- 
lowed the  slightest  hint  to  drop  of  their  knowledge. 
The  winter  passed  away  without  interruption  of  any 
kind.  Before  the  snow  had  disappeared  the  seed 
was  all  prepared  ready  for  sowing  ;  the  planks  had 
been  sawed  out,  and  all  the  wheat  not  required  for 
seed  had  been  ground  down  and  put  into  Hour-bar- 
rels, ready  for  any  further  demand  from  the  fort. 
And  thus  terminated  the  third  winter  in  Canada. 


i*A  THE   SETTLEES. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

It  was  now  April,  and  for  some  days  Malachi  and 
John  had  been  very  busy,  assisted  by  the  Strawber- 
ry ;  for  the  time  had  come  for  tapping  the  maple 
trees,  to  make  the  maple  sugar,  and  Mrs.  Campbell 
had  expressed  a  wish  that  she  could  be  so  supplied 
with  an  article  of  such  general  consumption,  and 
which  they  could  not  obtain  but  by  the  bateaux 
which  went  to  Montreal.  In  the  evening,  when 
Malachi  and  John  were,  as  usual,  employed  in  cut- 
ting small  trays  out  of  the  soft  wood  of  the  balsam 
fir,  and  of  which  they  had  already  prepared  a  large 
quantity,  Mrs.  Campbell  asked  Malachi  how  the  su- 
gar was  procured. 

"  Very  easily,  ma'am  ;  we  tap  the  trees." 

"  Yes,  so  you  said  before  ;  but  how  do  you  do  it? 
Explain  the  whole  affair  to  me." 

"  Why,  ma'am,  we  pick  out  the  maple  trees 
which  are  about  a  foot  wide  at  the  bottom  of  the 
trunk,  as  they  yield  most  sugar.  We  then  bore  a 
hole  in  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  about  two  feet  above 
the  ground,  and  into  that  hole  we  put  a  hollow  reed, 
just  the  same  as  you  would  put  a  spigot  in  a  cask. 
The  liquor  runs  out  into  one  of  these  trays  that  we 
have  been  digging  out." 

"  AVell,  and  then  what  do  you  do  ?" 

"We  collect  all  the  liquor  every  morning  till  we 
have  enough  to  fill  the  coppers,  and  then  we  boil  it 
down." 

"  What  coppers  will  you  use,  then  ?" 

"There  are  two  large  coppers  in  the  storeroom, not 
yet  put  up,  which  will  answer  our  purpose  very 
well,  ma'am.     They  hold  about  a  hogshead  each. 


THE   SETTLERS.  95 

We  shall  take  them  into  the  woods  with  us,  and 
pour  the  liquor  into  them,  and  boil  them  down  as 
soon  as  they  are  ready.  You  must  come  and  see  us 
on  the  boiling-day,  and  we  can  have  a  frolic  in  the 
woods." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell. 
"How  much  liquor  do  you  get  from  one  tree?" 

"  A  matter  of  two  or  "three  gallons,"  replied  Mala- 
chi,  "  sometimes  more  and  sometimes  less.  After 
we  have  tapped  the  trees  and  set  our  trays,  we  shall 
have  nothing  more  to  do  for  a  fortnight.  The  Straw- 
berry can  attend  to  them  all,  and  will  let  us  know 
when  she  is  ready." 

"Do  you  tap  the  trees  every  year  ?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  and  a  good  tree  will  bear  it  for  fif- 
teen or  twenty  years  ;  but  it  kills  them  at  last." 

"  So  I  should  suppose,  for  you  lake  away  so  much 
of  the  sap  of  the  tree." 

"  Exactly,  ma'am  ;  but  there's  no  want  of  sugar 
maples  in  these  woods." 

"  You  promised  us  some  honey,  Malachi,"  said 
Emma,  "  but  we  have  not  seen  it  yet.  Can  you  get 
us  some  ?" 

"We  had  no  time  to  get  it  last  autumn,  miss,  but 
we  will  try  this  autumn  what  we  can  do.  When 
John  and  I  are  out  in  the  woods,  we  shall  very  prob- 
ably find  a  honey-tree,  without  going  very  far.  I  did 
intend  to  have  looked  out  for  some,  if  you  had  not 
mentioned  it." 

"I  know  one,"  said  Martin;  "I  marked  it  a  fort- 
night ago,  but  I  quite  forgot  all  about  it.  Since  the 
mill  has  been  in  hand,  I  have  had  little  time  for  any- 
thing else.  The  fact  is,  we  all  have  plenty  to  do 
just  now." 

"  That  we  certainly  have,"  replied  Henry,  laugh- 
ing ;  "  I  wish  I  could  see  the  end  of  my  work  in  the 
barn  ;  I  doubt  if  I  shall  be  able  to  get  out  with  my 
rifle  this  winter." 

"No,  sir,  you  must  leave  the  woods  to  John  and 
me,"  replied  Malachi.     "  Never  mind,  you  sha'n't 


96  THE   SETTLERS. 

want  for  venison.  Do  you  require  the  sledge  to- 
morrow, Mr.  Alfred  ?" 

Malachi  referred  to  a  small  sledge  which  they  had 
made  in  the  winter,  and  which  was  now  very  use- 
ful, as  they  could,  with  one  horse,  transport  things 
from  place  to  place.  It  was  used  by  Alfred  for 
bringing  down  to  the  storehouse  the  sacks  of  flour  as 
fast  as  they  were  ground  in  the  mill. 

"  I  can  do  without  it  for  a  day.  What  do  you 
want  it  for?" 

"  To  bring  all  the  honey  home,"  said  Emma, 
.aughing. 

"  No,  miss,  to  take  the  coppers  out  into  the 
woods,"  replied  Malachi,  "  that  they  may  be  ready 
for  the  liquor.  As  soon  as  we  have  tapped  the  trees, 
we  will  look  for  the  honey." 

"  Did  you  send  your  skins  down  to  Montreal  by  the 
bateaux?''''  inquired  Mr.  Campbell. 

"  Yes,  father,"  replied  Alfred  ;  "  Mr.  Emmerson 
took  charge  of  them,  and  promised  to  deliver  them 
to  the  agent ;  but  we  have  not  so  many  this  year  as 
we  had  last.  John  has  the  largest  package  of  all 
of  us." 

"  Yes,  he  beats  me  this  year,"  said  Malachi ;  "  he 
always  contrives  to  get  the  first  shot.  I  knew  that 
I  should  make  a  hunter  of  the  boy.  He  might  go 
out  by  himself  now,  and  do  just  as  well  as  I  do." 

The  next  morning,  Malachi  went  out  into  the 
woods,  taking  with  him  the  coppers  and  all  the 
trays  on  the  sledge  :  during  that  day  he  was  busy 
boring  the  trees  and  fitting  the  reed  pipes  to  the 
holes.  Strawberry  and  John  accompanied  him,  and 
by  sunset  their  work  was  complete. 

The  next  morning  when  they  went  out,  only  Mal- 
achi and  John  took  their  axes  with  them,  for  John 
could  use  his  very  well  for  so  young  a  lad.  They 
first  went  to  the  tree  which  Martin  had  discovered; 
he  had  given  a  description  where  to  find  it.  They 
cut  it  down,  hut  did  not  attempt  to  take  the  honey 
till  the  night,  when  they  lighted  a  fire,  and  drove 


THE    SETTLERS.  97 

away  the  bees  by  throwing  leaves  on  it  and  making 
a  great  smoke  ;  they  then  opened  the  tree,  and 
gained  about  two  pails  full  of  honey,  which  they 
brought  in  just  as  the  family  were  about  to  go  to 
bed.  When  they  went  out  the  next  morning,  they 
found  a  bear  very  busy  at  the  remains  of  the  comb, 
but  the  animal  made  off'  before  they  could  get  a  shot 
at  him. 

Every  morning  the  Strawberry  collected  all  the 
sap  which  had  run  out  of  the  trees,  and  poured  it 
into  the  coppers  which  had  been  fixed  up-  by  Mala- 
chi,  ready  for  a  fire  to  be  lighted  under  them.  They 
continued  their  search,  and  found  three  more  hives 
of  bees,  which  they  marked  and  allowed  to  remain 
till  later  in  the  season,  when  they  could  take  them 
at  their  leisure.  In  a  fortnight,  they  had  collected 
sufficient  liquor  from  the  trees  to  fill  both  the  cop- 
pers to  the  brim,  besides  several  pails.  The  fires 
were  therefore  lighted  under  the  coppers,  and  due 
notice  given  to  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  girls,  that  the 
next  day  they  must  go  out  into  the  woods  and  see 
the  operation ;  as  the  liquor  would  toward  the  after- 
noon be  turned  into  the  coolers,  which  were  some 
of  the  large  washing-tubs  then  in  use,  and  which 
had  been  thoroughly  cleansed  for  the  purpose. 

As  this  was  to  be  a  holyday  in  the  woods,  they 
prepared  a  cold  dinner  in  a  large  basket,  and  gave 
it  in  charge  of  Henry.  Mr.  Campbell  joined  the 
party,  and  they  all  set  off  to  the  spot,  which  was 
about  two  miles  distant.  On  their  arrival,  they  ex- 
amined the  trees  and  the  trays  into  Avhich  the  juice 
first  ran,  the  boilers  in  which  the  liquor  was  now 
simmering  over  the  fire,  and  asked  questions  of  Mal- 
achi,  so  that  they  might,  if  necessarv,  be  abb?  to 
make  the  sugar  themselves  ;  after  which  the  first 
cooler  was  filled  with  the  boiling  liquor,  that  they 
might  see  how  the  sugar  crystallized  as  tiie  liquor 
became  cold.  They  then  sat  down  under  a  large 
tree  and  dined.  The  tree  was  at  some  distance  from 
the  boilers,  as  there  was  no  shade  in  the  open  spot 

Vol.  II.— 9  v       F 


98  THE    SETTLERS. 

where  Malachi  had  placed  them,  and  the  afternoon 
was  passed  very  agreeably  in  listening  to  Malachi's 
and  Martin's  stories  of  their  adventures  in  the  woods. 
While  they  were  still  at  dinner,  Oscar  and  the  other 
dogs  which  had  accompanied  them,  had  strayed  to 
about  a  hundred  yards  distant,  and  were  soon  very 
busv  scraping  and  barking  at  a  large  hole. 

"  What  are  the  dogs  after  ?"  said  Alfred. 

"  Just  what  the  Strawberry  wants,  and  told  me  to 
get  for  her,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  we  will  dig  him 
out  to-morrow." 

"  What  is  it,  Strawberry  f"  said  Mary. 

The  Strawberry  pointed  to  her  mocassins,  and 
then  put  her  finger  on  the  porcupine  quills  with 
which  they  were  embroidered. 

"  I  don't  know  the  English  name,"  said  she  softly. 

"  A  porcupine  you  mean,"  said  Mary  ;  "  the  ani- 
mal those  quills  come  from." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Strawberry. 

"  Is  there  a  porcupine  there,  Malachi  ?"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  that  is  certain  ;  the  dogs  know  that 
well  enough,  or  they  would  not  make  such  a  noise. 
If  vou  like,  we  will  go  for  the  shovels  and  dig  him 
out"." 

"  Do,  pray  ;  I  should  like  to  see  him  caught,"  said 
Emma  ;  "  it  shall  be  our  evening's  amusement." 

Martin  got  up,  and  went  for  the  shovels;  during 
his  absence,  the  dinner  was  cleared  away,  and  the 
articles  replaced  in  the  basket ;  they  then  all  ad- 
journed to  where  the  dogs  were  still  barking  and 
scratching. 

It  was  more  than  an  hour  before  they  could  dig 
out  the  animal,  and  when,  at  last,  it  burst  away 
from  the  hole,  they  could  not  help  laughing  as  they 
witnessed  the  way  in  which  one  or  two  of  the  dogs 
were  pricked  with  the  quills  of  the  animal,  who 
needed  no  other  defence  ;  the  dogs  ran  back,  pawed 
their  noses,  and  then  went  on  again.  Oscar  was  too 
knowing  to  attack  it  in  that  way  ;  he  attempted  to 


THE   SETTLERS.  99 

turn  it  over,  so  that  he  mitrht  get  at  its  stomach, 
when  he  would  soon  have  killed  it,  but  Martin  de- 
spatched the  poor  beast  with  a  blow  on  the  nose,  and 
the  dogs  then  rushed  in  upon  it.  They  ani'uscd 
themselves  selecting  all  the  best  of  the  quills  for  the 
Strawberry,  and  then  they  went  back  again  to  the 
coolers  to  see  the  sugar  which  had  been  made. 

As  they  neared  the  spot,  Emma  cried  out,  "  There 
is  a  bear  at  the  cooler  ;  look  at  him." 

Maiachi  and  John  had  their  rifles  ready  imme- 
diately. Mrs.  Campbell  and  Mary  were  much  alarm- 
ed, as  the  animal  was  not  one  hundred  yards  from 
them. 

"Do  not  be  afraid,  ma'am,"  said  Maiachi  ;  "  the 
animal  is  only  after  the  sugar.  He  likes  su"-ar  iust 
as  well  as  honey."  ° 

"I  don't  doubt  but  he's  the  same  beast  that  you 
saw  at  the  honeycomb  the  other  day,"  said  Martin. 
"Let  us  stay  where  we  are  and  watch  him.  We 
may  lose  a  few  pounds  of  sugar,  but  I  expect  he  will 
make  you  laugh." 

"  I  really  see  nothing  laughable  in  such  a  terrific 
brute,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

<<  You  are  quite  safe,  ma'am,"  said  Martin ;  "  Mai- 
achi and  Mr.  John  have  both  their  rifles." 

"Well,  then,  I  will  trust  to  them,"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell  ;  <<  but  I  should  prefer  being  at  home, 
nevertheless.     What  a  great  brute  it  is." 

'  Yes,  ma'am  ;  it  is  a  very  large  animal  that's 
certain  ;  but  they  are  not  very  fat  at  this  time  of  the 
year.  See  how  he's  smelling  at  the  liquor,  now  he's 
licking  the  top  of  it  with  his  tongue.  He  won't  be 
satisfied  with  that,  now  that  he  has  once  tasted  it. 
I  told  you  so." 

The  eyes  of  the  whole  party,  some  frightened  and 
some  not,  were  now  fixed  upon  the  bear,  who,  ap- 
proving dt  what  he  had  tasted  as  a  sample,  now  pro- 
ceeded to  help  himself  more  liberally. 

He  therefore  placed  his  paw  down  into  the  con- 
tents of  the  cooler,  but  although  the  surface  of  the 


100  THE  SETTLERS. 

liquor  was  cocl,  the  lower  part  was  still  scalding 
hot,  and  he  had  not  put  his  paw  in  for  a  moment, 
when  he  withdrew  it  with  a  loud  roar,  rearing  up 
and  sitting  upon  his  hind  legs,  and  throwing  his 
burnt  paw  in  the  air. 

"I  said  so."  observed  Malachi,  chuckling;  "he 
has  found  it  hotter  than  he  expected." 

John,  Alfred,  and  Martin,  burst  out  laughing  at  the 
6ight  ;  and  even  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  two  girls 
could  not  help  being  amused. 

"He'll  try  it  again,"  said  Martin. 

"  Yes,  that  he  will,"  replied  Malachi.  "  John, 
be  all  ready  with  your  rifle,  for  the  brute  has  seen 
us." 

"Why,  he  won't  come  this  way,  will  he?"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  that  he  most  likely  will  when  he 
is  angry  ;  but  you  need  not  fear." 

"  But  I'm  afraid,  Malachi,"  said  Mary. 

"  Then  perhaps  you  had  better  go  about  fifty  yards 
back  with  Mr.  Campbell,  where  you  will  see  the 
whole  without  danger.  There  he  goes  to  it  again  ; 
I  knew  he  would." 

Martin,  who  had  got  all  the  dogs  collected  to- 
gether and  fast  by  a  piece  of  deer's  hide,  as  soon  as 
they  had  discovered  the  bear,  went  back  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the  girls. 

"  You  need  have  no  fear,  ma'am,"  said  Martin  ; 
"  the  rifles  won't  miss  their  mark,  and  if  they  did,  I 
have  the  dogs  to  let  loose  upon  him;  and  1  think 
Oscar,  with  the  help  of  the  others,  would  master 
him.  Down — silence,  Oscar — down,  dogs,  down. 
Look  at  the  Strawberry,  ma'am,  she's  not  afraid,  she's 
laughing  like  a  silver  bell." 

During  this  interval,  the  bear  again  applied  to  the 
cooler,  and  burnt  himself  as  before,  and  this  time 
being  more  angry,  he  now  gave  another  roar,  and, 
as  if  considering  that  the  joke  had  been  played  upon 
him  by  the  party  who  were  looking  on,  he  made 
directly  for  them  at  a  quick  run. 


THE    SETTLERS.  J  01 

"  Now,  John,"  said  Malachi ;  "get  your  bead  well 
on  him,  right  between  his  eyes.'' 

John  kneeled  down  in  front  of  Malachi,  who  had 
his  rifle  all  ready  :  much  to  the  horror  of  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, John  permitted  the  bear  to  come  within  twenty 
yards  of  him.  He  then  fired  and  the  animal  fell 
dead  without  a  struggle. 

"  A  good  shot,  and  well  put  in,"  said  Malachi,  go- 
ing up  to  the  bear.  .  "Let  the  dogs  loose,  that  they 
may  worry  the  carcase;  it  will  do  them  good." 

Martin  did  so  ;  the  dogs  were  permitted  to  pull  and 
tear  at  the  dead  animal  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
taken  off:  in  the  meantime,  Mr.  Campbell  and  the 
ladies  had  come  up  to  where  the  animal  lay. 

"  Well,  ma'am,  isn't  John  a  cool  shot  ?"  said  Mala- 
chi.    "  Could  the  oldest  hunter  have  done  better  ?" 

"  My  dear  John,  you  quite  frightened  me,"  said 
Mrs.  Campbell;  "why  did  you  allow  the  beast  to 
come  so  near  lo  you." 

"Because  I  wanted  to  kill  him  dead,  and  not 
wound  him,"  replied  John. 

"  To  be  sure,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  to  wound  a  bear 
is  worse  than  leaving  him  alone." 

"  Well,  Malachi,  you  certainly  have  made  a  hunter 
of  John,"  said  Mr.  Campbell.  "  I  could  not  have 
supposed  such  courage  and  presence  of  mind  in  one 
so  young." 

John  wTas  very  much  praised,  as  he  deserved  to  be, 
by  the  whole  party  ;  and  then  Malachi  said,  "The 
skin  belongs  tc  John,  that  of  course." 

"  Is  the  bear  good  eating  now  ?''  said  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. 

"  Not  very,  ma'am,"  replied  Malachi,  "  for  he  has 
consumed  all  his  fat  during  the  winter;  but  we  will 
cut  off  the  legs  for  hams,  and  when  they  are  salted 
and  smoked  with  the  other  meat,  you  will  acknowl- 
edge that  a  bear's  ham  is  at  all  events  a  dish  that 
any  one  may  say  is  good.  Come,  John,  where's  your 
knife?  Martin, give  us  a  hand  here,  while  Mr.  Camp- 
bell and  the  ladies  go  home." 

9* 


102  THE   SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

It  was  in  the  first  week  of  June  that  Malachi, 
when  he  was  out  in  the  woods,  perceived  an  Indian, 
who  came  toward  him.  He  was  a  youth  of  about 
twenty  or  twenty-one  years  old,  tall  and  slightly 
made  ;  he  carried  his  bows  and  arrows  and  his  toma- 
hawk, but  had  no  gun.  Malachi  was  at  that  time  sit- 
ting down  on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  ;  he  was  not 
more  than  two  miles  from  the  house,  and  had  gone  out 
with  his  rifle  without  any  particular  intent,  unless  it 
was  that,  as  he  expected  he  should  soon  receive  some 
communication  from  the  Indians,  he  wished  to  give 
them  an  opportunity  of  speaking  to  him  alone.  The 
Indian  came  up  to  where  Malachi  was,  and  took  a 
seat  by  him,  without  saying  a  word. 

"  Is  my  son  from  the  \Vest  ?"  said  Malachi,  in  the 
Indian  tongue,  after  a  silence  of  one  or  two  minutes. 

"  The  Young  Otter  is  from  the  West,"  replied  the 
Indian.  "The  old  men  have  told  him  of  the  Grey 
Badger,  Avho  has  lived  the  life  of  a  snake,  and  who 
has  hunted  with  the  fathers  of  those  who  are  now 
old.     Does  my  father  live  with  the  white  man?" 

"  He  lives  with  the  white  man,"  replied  Malachi ; 
"  he  has  no  Indian  blood  in  his  veins." 

"  Has  the  white  man  many  in  his  lodge  ?"  said  the 
Indian. 

"  Yes  ;  many  young  men  and  many  rifles,"  replied 
Malachi. 

The  Indian  did  not  continue  this  conversation,  and 
there  was  a  silence  of  some  minutes.  Malachi  was 
convinced  that  the  young  Indian  had  been  sent  to 
intimate  that  Percival  was  alive  and  in  captivity, 


THE    SETTLERS.  103 

and  he  resolved  to  wait  patiently  till  he  brought  up 
the  subject. 

"Does  not  the  cold  kill  the  white  man  ?"  said  the 
Indian,  at  last. 

"No  ;  the  white  man  can  bear  the  winter's  ice  as 
well  as  an  Indian.  He  hunts  as  well,  and  brings 
home  venison." 

"  Are  all  who  came  here  with  him  now  in  the 
white  man's  lodge  ?" 

"No,  not  all ;  one  white  child  slept  in  the  snow, 
and  is  in  the  land  of  spirits,"  replied  MalachJ. 

Here  there  was  a  pause  in  the  conversation  for 
some  minutes  ;  at  last  the  young  Indian  said — 

"A  little  bird  sang  in  my  ear,  and  it  said,  '  The 
white  man's  child  is  not  dead  ;  it  wandered  about  in 
the  woods  and  was  lost,  and  the  Indian  found  him, 
and  took  him  to  his  wigwam  in  the  Far  West.'  " 

"Did  not  the  little  bird  lie  to  the  Young  Otter?" 
replied  Malachi. 

"  No  ;  the  little  bird  sung  what  was  true  ;"  replied 
the  Indian.  "  The  white  boy  is  alive  and  in  the 
lodge  of  the  Indian." 

"  There  are  many  white  men  in  the  country  who 
have  children,"  replied  Malachi  ;  "  and  children  are 
often  lost.  The  little  bird  may  have  sung  of  the  child 
of  some  other  white  man." 

"  The  white  boy  had  a  rifle  in  his  hand,  and  snow- 
shoes  on  his  feet." 

"  So  have  all  they  who  go  out  to  hunt  in  the  win- 
ter's snow,"  replied  Malachi. 

"But  the  while  boy  was  found  near  to  the  white 
man's  lodge." 

"Then  why  was  not  the  boy  taken  back  to  the 
white  man  by  the  Indians  who  found  him?" 

"  They  were  going  to  their  own  wigwams  and 
-ould  not  turn  aside;  besides,  they  feared  to  come 
near  to  the  white  man's  lodge  after  the  sun  was 
down;  as  my  father  says  he  has  many  young  men 
and  many  rifles." 

"  But  the  white  man  does  not  raise  the  rifle  against 


104  THE    SETTLERS. 

the  Indian,  whether  he  comes  by  day  or  by  night," 
replied  Malaehi.  "At  night  he  kills  the  prowling 
wolf  when  he  comes  near  to  the  lodge." 

The  Indian  again  stopped  and  was  silent.  He 
knew  by  the  words  of  Malaehi  that  the  wolf's  skin, 
with  which  the  Indian  had  been  covered  when  he 
was  crawling  to  the  palisades  and  had  been  shot  by 
John,  had  been  discovered.  Malaehi,  after  a  while, 
renewed  the  conversation. 

"Is  the  Young  Otter  of  a  near  tribe?" 

••  The  lodges  of  our  tribe  are  twelve  days'  journey 
to  the  westward,"  replied  the  Indian. 

"  The  chief  of  the  Young  Otter's  band  is  a  great 
warrior  ?" 

"He  is,"  replied  the  Indian. 

"Yes,"  replied  Malaehi.  "The  'Angry  Snake' 
is  a  great  warrior.  Did  he  send  the  Young  Otter  to 
me  to  tell  me  that  the  white  boy  was  alive,  and  in 
his  wigwam  ?" 

Tlie  Indian  again  paused.  He  perceived  that  Mal- 
aehi knew  where  he  came  from,  and  from  whom.  At 
last  he  said — 

"It  is  many  moons  since  the  Angry  Snake  has 
taken  care  of  the  white  boy,  and  has  fed  him  with 
venison  ;  many  moons  that  he  has  hunted  for  him 
to  give  him  food  ;  and  the  white  boy  loves  the  Angry 
Snake  as  a  father,  and  the  Angry  Snake  loves  the 
boy  as  his  son.  He  will  adopt  him,  and  the  white 
boy  will  be  the  chief  of  the  tribe.  He  will  forget 
the  white  men,  and  become  red  as  an  Indian." 

"  The  boy  is  forgotten  by  the  white  man,  who  has 
long  numbered  him  with  the  dead,"  replied  Malaehi. 

"  The  white  man  has  no  memory,"  replied  the 
Indian,  "  to  forget  so  soon  ;  but  it  is  not  so.  He  would 
make  many  presents  to  him  who  would  bring  back 
the  boy." 

"  And  what  presents  could  he  make  ?'■'  replied 
Malaehi ;  "  the  white  man  is  poor,  and  hunts  with 
his  young  men  as  the  Indian  docs.     What  has  the 


THE   SETTLERS.  105 

white  man  to  give  that  the  Indian  covets?    He  has 
no  whiskey." 

"  The  white  man  has  powder,  and  lead,  and  ri- 
fles," replied  the  Indian;  "  more  than  he  can  use, 
locked  up  in  his  storehouse." 

"And  will  the  Angry  Snake  bring  back  the  white 
boy  if  the  white  man  gives  him  powder,  and  lead, 
and  rifles?"  inquired  Malachi. 

"He  Avill  make  a  long  journey,  and  bring  the 
white  boy  with  him,"  replied  the  Indian  ;  "  but  first 
let  the  white  man  say  what  presents  he  will  give." 

"He  shall  be  spoken  to,"  replied  Malachi,  "  and 
his  answer  shall  be  brought,  but  the  Young  Otter 
must  not  go  to  the  white  man's  lodge.  A  red-skin 
is  not  safe  from  the  rifles  of  the  young  men.  When 
the  moon  is  at  the  full  I  will  meet  the  Young  Otter 
after  the  sun  is  down,  at  the  eastern  side  of  the  long 
prairie.     Is  it  good  ?" 

"Good,"  replied  the  Indian,  who  rose,  turned  on 
his  heel,  and  walked  away  into  the  forest. 

When  Malachi  returned  to  the  house,  he  took  an 
opportunity  of  communicating  to  Alfred  what  had 
taken  place.  After  some  conversation,  they  agreed 
that  they  would  make  Captain  Sinclair,  who  had 
that  morning  arrived  from  the  fort,  their  confidant  as 
to  what  had  occurred,  and  decide  with  him  upon 
what  steps  should  be  taken.  Captain  Sinclair  was 
very  much  surprised,  and  equally  delighted,  when 
he  heard  that  Percival  was  still  alive,  and  warmly 
entered  into  the  subject. 

"  The  great  question  is,  whether  it  would  not  be 
better  to  accede  to  the  terms  of  this  scoundrel  of  an 
Indian  chief,"  observed  Captain  Sinclair.  "  What 
are  a  few  pounds  of  powder,  and  a  rifle  or  two,  com- 
pared with  the  happiness  which  will  be  produced 
by  the  return  of  Percival  to  his  parents,  who  have  so 
long  lamented  him  as  dead  ?" 

"  It's  not  that,  sir,"  replied  Malachi.  "  I  know 
that  Mr.  Campbell  would  give  his  whole  storeroom 
to  regain  his  boy,  but  we  must  consider  what  will 


106 


THE    SETTLERS. 


be  the  consequence  if  he  does  so.  One  thing  is  cer 
tain,  that  the  Angry  Snake  will  not  be  satisfied  with 
a  trifling  present ;  he  will  ask  many  rifles,  perhaps 
more  than  we  have  at  the  farm,  and  powder  and  shot 
in  proportion ;  for  he  has  mixed  much  with  white 
people,  especially  when  the  French  were  here,  and 
he  knows  how  little  we  value  such  things,  and  how 
much  we  love  our  children.  But,  sir,  in  the  first 
place,  you  supply  him  and  his  band  with  arms  tc 
use  against  us  at  any  oiher  time,  and  really  make 
them  formidable  ;  and  in  the  next  place,  vou  encour- 
age him  to  make  some  other  attempt  to  obtain  simi- 
lar presents— for  he  will  not  be  idle.  Recollect,  sir, 
that  we  have  in  all  probability  killed  one  of  their 
band,  when  he  came  to  reconnoitre  the  house  in  the 
skin  of  a  wolf,  and  that  will  never  be  forgotten,  but 
revenged  as  soon  as  it  can  be.  Now,  sir,  If  we  give 
him  arms  and  ammunition,  we  shall  put  the  means 
of  revenge  in  his  hands,  and  I  should  not  be  sur- 
prised to  find  us  one  day  attacked  by  him  and  his 
band,  and  it  may  be,  overpowered  bv  means  of  these 
nfles  which  you  propose  to  give  him." 

"  There  is  much  truth  and  much  sood  sense  in 
what  you  say,  Malachi— indeed,  I  think  it  "almost  at 
once  decides  the  point,  and  that  we  must  not  consent 
to  his  terms;  but  then  what  must  we  do  to  recover 
the  boy  ?" 

'  That  is  the  question  which  puzzles  me,"  replied 
Alfred,  "for  I  perfectly  agree  with  Malachi,  that  we 
must  not  give  him  arms  and  ammunition,  and  I  doubt 
if  he  would  accept  of  anything  else." 

"No,  sir,  that  he  will  not,  depend  upon  it,"  re- 
plied Malachi.  «  I  think  there  is  but  one  way  that 
will  give  us  a  chance." 

"  What,  then,  is  your  idea,  Malachi  ?" 

"The  Angry  Snake  with  his  band  were  tracking 
us,  and  had  we  not  been  loo  strong,  would  have  at- 
tacked and  murdered  us  all,  that  is  clear.  Not  dar- 
ing to  do  that,  he  has  stolen  Percival,  and  detains 
him,  to  return  him  at  his  own  price.     Now,  sir,  the 


THE    SETTLERS.  107 

Young  Otter  has  come  to  us,  and  offers  to  come 
again.  We  have  given  him  no  pledge  of  safe  con- 
duct, and,  therefore,  when  he  comes  again,  we  must 
have  an  ambush  ready  for  him,  and  make  him  pris- 
oner ;  but  then  you  see,  sir,  we  must  have  the  as- 
sistance of  the  colonel,  for  he  must  be  confined  at 
the  fort ;  we  could  not  well  keep  him  at  the  farm, 
hi  the  first  place,  it  would  be  impossible  then  to 
withhold  the  secret  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell; 
and,  in  the  next,  we  should  have  to  be  on  the  look- 
out for  an  attack  every  night  for  his  rescue ;  but  if 
the  colonel  was  to  know  the  whole  circumstances, 
and  would  assist  us,  we  might  capture  the  Indian 
lad,  and  hold  him  as  a  hostage  for  Master  Percival, 
till  we  could  make  some  terms  with  the  Ancrv 
Snake." 

"I  like  your  idea  very  much,  Malachi,"  replied 
Captain  Sinclair,  "  and  if,  Alfred,  you  agree  with  me, 
I  will  acquaint  the  colonel  with  the  whole  of  what 
has  passed  when  I  return  to-night,  and  see  if  he  will 
consent  to  our  taking  such  a  step.  When  are  you  to 
meet  the  Indian,  Malachi?" 

"  In  three  days,  that  is  on  Saturday  ;  it  will  be  the 
full  of  the  moon,  and  then  I  meet  "him  at  night,  at 
the  end  of  the  prairie  nearest  to  the  fort,  so  that  there 
will  be  no  difficulty  in  doing  all  we  propose  without 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  being  aware  of  anything  that 
has  taken  place." 

"  I  think  we  can  not  do  better  than  you  have  pro- 
posed," said  Alfred. 

"Be  it  so,  then,"  said  Captain  Sinclair.  "  I  will 
be  here  again  to-morrow — no,  not  to-morrow,  but 
the  day  after  will  be  better,  and  then  I  will  give  you 
the  reply  of  the  colonel,  and  make  such  arrange- 
ments as  may  be  necessary." 

•'That's  all  right,  sir,"  replied  Malachi;  "and 
now  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  keep  our  own  secret ; 
so,  perhaps,  Captain  Sinclair,  you  had  better  go  back 
to  the  young  ladies,  for  Miss  Mary  may  imagine  that 
it  musi  be  something  of  very  great  importance  which 


108  THE   SETTLERS. 

can  have  detained  you  so  long  from  her  presence  ;" 
and  Malachi  smiled  as  he  finished  his  remark. 

"  There's  good  sense  in  that  observation,  Malachi," 
said  Alfred,  laughing.     "  Come,  Sinclair." 

Captain  Sinclair  quitted  in  the  evening,  and  went 
back  to  the  fort.  Ke  returned  at  the  time  appointed, 
and  informed  them  that  the  colonel  fully  approved 
of  their  plan  of  holding  the  young  Indian  as  a  host- 
age, and  that  he  would  secure  him  in  the  fort  as 
soon  as  he  was  brought  in. 

"  Now,  do  we  want  any  assistance  from  the  fort  ? 
Surely  not,  to  capture  an  Indian  lad  ;  at  least,  so  I 
said  to  the  colonel,"  continued  Captain  Sinclair. 

"  No,  sir,  Ave  want  no  assistance,  as  you  say.  I 
am  his  match  myself,  if  that  were  all ;  but  it  is  not 
strength  which  is  required.  He  is  as  little  and 
supple  as  an  eel,  and  as  difficult  to  hold,  that  I  am 
certain  of.  If  we  were  to  use  our  rifles  there  would 
be  no  difficulty,  but  to  hold  him  will  give  some 
trouble  to  two  of  us,  and  if  once  he  breaks  loose,  he 
would  be  too  fleet  for  any  of  us." 

"Well,  then,  Malachi,  how  shall  we  proceed?" 

"Why,  sir,  1  must  meet  him,  and  you  and  Mr. 
Alfred  and  Martin  must  be  hid  at  a  distance,  and 
gradually  steal  near  to  us.  Martin  shall  have  his 
deer  thongs  all  ready,  and  when  you  pounce  upon 
him,  he  must  bind  him  at  once.  Martin  is  used  to 
them,  and  knows  how  to  manage  it." 

"  Well,  if  you  think  that  we  three  cannot  manage 
him,  let  us  have  Martin." 

"It  isn't  strength,  sir,"  replied  Malachi,  "  but  he 
will  slip  through  your  fingers,  if  not  well  tied,  in 
half  a  minute.  Now,  we  will  just  walk  down  to 
where  I  intend  to  meet  him,  and  survey  the  place, 
and  then  I'll  show  you  where  you  must  be,  for  we 
must  not  be  seen  together  in  that  direction  to-mor- 
row, for  he  may  be  lurking  about,  and  have  some 
suspicion. " 

They  then  walked  to  the  end  of  the  prairie  nearest 
to  the  fort,  which  was  about  a  mile  from  the  house, 


THE   SETTLERS.  ]09 

and  Malachi  having  selected  his  ground,  and  pointed 
out  to  them  where  to  conceal  themselves,  they  re- 
turned to  the  house,  Alfred  having  made  arrange- 
ments when  and  where  he  and  Martin  would  meet 
Captain  Sinclair  on  the  day  appointed. 

The  next  day  passed,  and  Malachi,  as  the  sun 
sank  behind  the  lake,  walked  out  to  the  end  of  the 
prairie.  He  had  not  been  there  ten  minutes,  when 
the  young  Indian  stood  before  him.  He  was  armed, 
as  before,  with  his  tomahawk  and  bow  and  arrows, 
but  Malachi  had  come  out  expressly  without  his  rifle. 

Malachi,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  the  Indian,  sat 
down,  as  is  the  usual  custom  among  them  when  they 
hold  a  talk,  and  the  Young  Otter  followed  his  ex- 
ample. 

"  Has  my  father  talked  to  the  white  man  ?"  said 
the  Indian,  after  a  short  silence. 

"  The  white  man  grieves  for  the  loss  of  his  boy, 
and  his  squaw  weeps,"  replied  Malachi.  "  The 
Angry  Snake  must  bring  the  boy  to  the  lodge  of  the 
white  man,  and  receive  presents." 

"  Will  the  white  man  be  generous  ?"  continued 
the  Indian. 

"  He  has  powder,  and  lead,  and  rifles,  and  tobacco  ; 
will  such  presents  please  the  Angry  Snake  ?" 

"  The  Angry  Snake  had  a  dream,"  replied  the  In- 
dian, "and  he  told  me  his  dream.  He  dreamed  that 
the  white  boy  was  put  into  his  mother's  arms,  who 
wept  for  joy,  and  the  white  man  opened  his  store, 
and  gave  to  the  Angry  Snake  ten  rifles,  and  two  kegs 
of  powder,  and  as  much  lead  as  four  men  could  carry 
away." 

"  Twas  a  good  dream,"  replied  Malachi,  "  and  it 
will  come  true  when  the  white  boy  comes  back  to 
his  mother." 

"  The  Angry  Snake  had  another  dream.  He 
dreamed  that  the  white  man  received  his  child,  and 
pushed  the  Angry  Snake  out  from  the  door  of  his 
lodge." 

"  That  was  bad,"  replied   Malachi.     «  Look  at 
Vol.  IL— 10 


110  THE   SETTLERS. 

me,  my  son  ;  say,  did  you  ever  hear  that  the  Grey 
Badger  said  a  lie  ?"  and  Malachi  laid  hold  of  the  In- 
dian's arm  as  he  spoke. 

This  was  the  signal  agreed  upon  between  Malachi 
and  the  party  concealed,  who  rushed  forward  and 
seized  the  Indian.  The  Young  Otter  sprang  up  in 
spite  of  their  endeavors  to  keep  him,  and  would  cer- 
tainly have  escaped,  for  he  had  got  nis  tomahawk 
clear,  and  was  about  to  wield  it  around  his  head,  had 
not  Martin  already  passed  one  of  the  deer  thongs 
round  his  ankle,  by  which  the  Indian  was  thrown 
again  to  the  ground.  His  arms  were  then  secured 
behind  his  back  with  other  deer-skin  thongs,  and 
another  passed  round  his  ankle,  and  given  to  Alfred. 

"You  were  right,  Malachi,"  said  Captain  Sinclair, 
"  how  he  contrived  to  twist  himself  out  of  our  grasp 
I  can  not  imagine  ;  but  he  certainly  would  have  been 
off,  and  probably  have  broken  our  heads  before  he 
went." 

"I  know  the  nature  of  these  Indians,  sir,"  replied 
Malachi ;  "  they're  never  safe,  even  when  tied,  if 
the  thong  does  not  cut  into  the  bone  ;  but  you  have 
him  now,  sir,  fast  enough,  and  the  sooner  you  get  to 
the  fort  the  better.  You  have  your  rifles  in  the 
bush." 

"  Yes," replied  Martin,  "you'll  find  them  behind 
the  large  oak  tree." 

"1*11  fetch  them;  not  that  I  think  there's  much 
danger  of  a  rescue." 

"  We  have  not  far  to  take  him,"  said  Captain  Sin- 
clair, "  for,  as  I  wished  you  and  Alfred  not  to  be  so 
long  away  as  to  induce  questions  to  be  asked  ;  I  have 
a  file  of  men  and  a  corporal  about  half  a  mile  off, 
concealed  in  the  bush.  But,  Malachi,  it  is  as  well 
to  let  the  Indian  know  that  he  is  only  detained  as  a 
hostage,  and  will  be  returned  as  soon  as  the  boy  is 
cent  back." 

Malachi  addressed  the  Indian  in  his  own  tongue, 
and  told  him  what  Captain  Sinclair  requested. 

"  Tell  him  that  there  are  several  Indian  women 


THE   SETTLERS.  Ill 

about  the  fort,  who  will  take  any  message  he  may 
send  to  the  Angry  Snake." 

The  Young  Otter  made  no  reply  to  anything  said 
by  Malachi,  but  looked  around  him  very  impatiently. 

"Be  off  as  fast  as  you  can,"  said  Malachi,  "for 
depend  upon  it  the  Angry  Snake  was  to  meet  him 
after  his  talk  with  me  ;  I  see  it  by  his  wandering 
eye,  and  his  looking  round  for  assistance.  I  will  go 
with  you,  and  return  with  Alfred  and  Martin,  for  I 
have  no  rifle." 

"  You  can  take  mine,  Malachi,  as  soon  as  we  come 
up  to  the  soldiers." 

This  was  done  in  a  few  minutes.  Captain  Sin- 
clair then  took  charge  of  the  Indian,  and  set  off  with 
his  party  for  the  fort.  Malachi,  Alfred,  and  Martin, 
returned  to  the  house,  and  before  they  entered  the 
prairie,  Martin  detected  the  tall  figure  of  an  Indian 
at  a  short  distance,  in  the  shade  of  the  trees. 

"Yes,  I  was  sure  of  it,"  said  Malachi.  "It  was 
well  that  I  did  not  go  back  without  you.  After  all, 
in  the  woods,  a  man's  no  man  without  his  rifle." 


112  THE    SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Martin  was  right  when  he  stated  that  he  per- 
ceived the  form  of  the  Angry  Snake  under  the  shade 
of  the  trees.  The  chief  was  then  watching  what 
occurred,  and  had  been  witness  to  the  capture  of  his 
emissary,  and,  following  those  who  had  the  Young 
Otter  in  charge,  saw  him  conveyed  to  the  fort.  In 
the  meantime,  Malachi,  Martin,  and  Alfred,  went 
home  without  any  suspicion  being  raised  among  the 
other  branches  of  the  family  of  what  had  occurred. 
This  gave  them  great  satisfaction. 

"  Well,  Malachi,"  said  Alfred  the  next  morning, 
as  they  were  all  busily  employed  getting  the  seed 
into  the  new  cleared  land  :  "  what  do  you  imagine 
will  be  the  steps  now  taken  by  the  Angry  Snake?" 

"It's  hard  to  say,  sir,"  replied  Malachi;  "  for  he 
well  deserves  the  name  of  a  snake,  if,  as  the  Scrip- 
ture says,  it's  the  subtlest  thing  on  earth:  he  will 
try  all  he  can,  you  may  be  sure  :  and  if  it  were  not 
that  he  is  afraid  of  us,  he  would  attack  us  imme- 
diately ;  but  that  I  have  no  idea  he  will  venture 
upon." 

"  No,  for  your  letter  says,  that  he  has  only  two 
rifles  in  his  band,  which  are  not  enough  to  give  him 
any  chance  of  success." 

"  Very  true,  sir.  I  hear  that  the  bateaux  are 
coming  from  the  fort  for  the  plank  and  flour." 

"  Yes,  to-morrow,  if  there  is  not  so  much  wind  as 
there  is  to-day  ;  it  blows  very  fresh.  Where  is 
John  ?" 

"  I  left  him  with  the  Strawberry,  sir  ;  they  were 
busy  with  the  sugar." 

"By-the-by,  how  much  have  you  got,  Malachi  ?" 


THE   SETTLERS.  113 

"About  three  or  four  hundred  pounds,  sir,  as  near 
as  I  can  reckon  ;  quite  as  much  as  madam  will  re- 
quire." 

"  Yes,  I  should  think  so  ;  now  we  shall  have  pre- 
serves of  all  sorts  and  the  fruit  for  nothing  ;  the  wild 
raspberries  are  nearly  ripe,  and  so  are  the  cherries  ; 
my  cousins  want  John  to  help  to  gather  them." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  dare  say  he  will  do  so,  although  I 
believe  he  would  rather  do  anything  else.  He  said 
he  was  going  to  fish  this  morning." 

"  The  water  is  too  rough,  and  he  will  not  be  able 
to  manage  the  punt  by  himself." 

"  Then  that's  the  very  reason  why  he'll  go  out," 
replied  Malachi ;  "  he  don't  like  easy  j:Ls  like  pick- 
ing raspberries.  Is  it  true,  Mr.  Alfred,  that  we  are 
to  have  some  more  settlers  come  here  ?" 

"Yes,  I  believe  so  ;  my  father  is  very  anxious  to 
have  them  ;  he  thinks  it  will  be  a  great  security,  and 
he  has  offered  very  advantageous  terms  ;  you  won't 
much  like  that,  Malachi." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  dare  say  you  may  think  so,  but  it  is 
not  the  case  ;  if  any  one  had  told  me  two  years  ago 
that  I  could  have  remained  here,  I  would  have  said 
it  was  impossible,  but  we  are  all  creatures  of  habit. 
I  had  been  so  used  to  my  own  company  for  so  long 
a  time,  that  when  I  first  saw  you,  I  couldn't  bear 
the  sight  of  you  ;  no,  not  even  that  of  your  pretty 
cousins,  Miss  Mary  and  Emma,  although  Heaven 
knows  they  might  tame  a  savage  ;  but  now,  sir,  I 
feel  quite  changed  ;  I  have  first  borne  with  company, 
because  I  fancied  the  boy,  and  then  I  felt  no  dislike 
to  it,  and  now  I  like  it.  I  believe  that  in  my  old 
age  I  am  coming  back  to  my  feelings  as  a  boy,  and 
I  think  very  often  of  my  father's  farm  and  the  little 
village  that  was  close  to  it ;  and  then  I  often  fancy 
that  I  should  like  to  see  a  village  rise  up  here,  and 
a  church  stand  up  there  upon  the  mount;  I  think  I 
should  like  to  live  on  till  I  saw  a  church  built  and 
God  worshipped  as  he  ought  to  be." 

"This  is  indeed  a  change,  Malachi;  well  I  hope 

10* 


114  THE   SETTLERS. 

you  will  see  a  church  on  the  mount,  and  live  many 
years  afterward  to  be  present  at  the  weddings  and 
christenings." 

"  As  it  pleases  God,  sir.  There's  one  thing,  Mr. 
Alfred,  that  has  given  me  great  content,  and  more 
than  anything,  perhaps,  reconciled  me  to  my  new 
way  of  living;  and  that  is,  that  the  Strawberry,  by 
the  blessing  of  God  and  the  labor  of  your  mother  and 
cousins,  has  become  a  good  Christian ;  you  don't 
know  how  pleased  I  am  at  that." 

"  She's  an  excellent  little  creature,  Malachi ;  every 
one  is  fond  of  her,  and  I  believe  Martin  is  very 
strongly  attached  to  her." 

"Yes,  sir,  she's  a  good  wife,  for  she  never  uses 
her  tongue,  and  obeys  her  husband  in  all  things.  I 
think  Martin  has  now  become  quite  steady,  and  you 
might  send  him  to  Montreal  or  anywhere  else  with- 
out fear  of  his  getting  into  the  prison  for  making  a 
disturbance....!  see  that  a  bear  has  been  over  into  the 
maize-field  last  night." 

"  What !  did  he  climb  the  snake-fence  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  they  climb  anything;  but  I  have  got 
his  tracks,  and  this  night  I  think  that  I  shall  get  hold 
of  him,  for  I  shall  lay  a  trap  for  him." 

Malachi  and  Alfred  continued  to  work  for  two  or 
three  hours,  when  they  were  summoned  by  Emma 
to  go  in  to  dinner.  "  I  can  not  find  John,"  said  Em- 
ma, as  they  walked  home;  "  Strawberry  says  that  he 
left  her  some  time  back,  and  went  to  fish  ;  have  you 
seen  him  pass  by  the  river's  side?" 

"No,"  replied  Alfred;  "but,  Malachi,  you  said 
that  he  was  going  to  fish  in  the  punt,  did  you  not  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"Do  you  see  the  punt  on  the  beach,  Emma?" 

"No," I  do  not,"  replied  Emma:  "but  it  may  be 
behind  the  point." 

"  Nor  can  I ;  I  hope  he  has  not  been  carried  away 
by  the  wind,  for  it  blows  very  hard;  I'll  run  down, 
and  see  if  he  is  there." 

Alfred  ran  down  to  the  beach  ;  the  punt  was  gone 


THE  SETTLERS.  115 

from  the  shore ;  and  after  looking  for  some  time  to 
leeward,  which  was  to  the  eastward,  in  the  direction 
of  the  rapids,  Alfred  thought  that  he  perceived 
something  like  a  boat  at  a  distance  of  three  or  four 
miles  ;  but  the  water  of  the  lake  was  much  ruffled 
by  the  strong  wind,  and  it  was  not  easy  to  distin- 
guish. 

Alfred  hastened  back,  and  said  to  Emma,  "  I  really 
am  afraid  that  John  is  adrift.  I  think  I  see  the  boat, 
but  am  not  sure.  Emma,  go  in  quietly  and  bring 
out  my  telescope,  which  is  over  my  bed-place.  Do 
not  let  them  see  you,  or  they  will  be  asking  ques- 
tions, and  your  aunt  may  be  alarmed." 

Emma  went  to  the  house,  and  soon  returned  with 

.the  telescope.     Alfred  and  Malachi  then  went  down 

to  the  beach,  and  the  former  distinctly  made  out  that 

what  he  had  seen  was  the  punt  adrift  with  John 

in  it. 

"  Now,  what  is  to  be  done  ?"  said  Alfred.  "  I  must 
take  a  horse,  and  ride  off  to  the  fort,  for  if  they  do 
not  see  him  before  he  passes,  he  may  not  be  picked 
up." 

"  If  he  once  gets  into  the  rapids,  sir,"  said  Mala- 
chi, "  he  will  be  in  great  danger  ;  for  he  may  be 
borne  down  upon  one  of  the  rocks,  and  upset  in  a 
minute." 

"  Yes  ;  but  he  is  some  way  from  them  yet,"  re- 
plied Alfred. 

"  Very  true,  sir  ;  but  with  this  strong  wind  right 
down  to  them,  and  helping  the  current,  he  will  soon 
be  there.     There  is  no  time  to  be  lost." 

"  No  ;  but  I'll  go  in  to  dinner,  and  as  soon  as  I 
have  taken  a  mouthful,  just  to  avoid  creating  any 
alarm,  I  will  slip  out,  and  ride  to  the  fort  as  fast  as 
I  can." 

"  Just  so  ;  you  will  be  there  in  good  time,  for  he 
is  now  three  miles  above  the  fort ;  indeed,  he  can 
not  well  pass  it  without  their  seeing  him." 

"Yes,  he  can,  now  that  the  water  is  so  rough," 
replied  Alfred ;  "  recollect  that  they  are  soldiers  in 


116  THE   SETTLERS. 

the  fort  and  not  sailors,  who  are  accustomed  to  look 
on  the  water.  A  piece  of  drift  timber  and  a  punt  is 
much  the  same  to  their  eyes.  Come,  let  us  in  to 
dinner." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I'll  follow  you,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  but, 
before  I  come  in,  I'll  catch  the  horse  and  saddle  him 
for  you.  You  can  tell  Miss  Emma  to  hold  her 
tongue  about  it." 

Alfred  rejoined  Emma,  whom  he  cautioned,  and 
then  they  went  in  to  their  dinner. 

"Where's  John  ?"  said  Mr.  Campbell ;  "  he  prom- 
ised me  some  lake  fish  for  dinner,  and  has  never 
brought  them  in ;  so  you  will  not  have  such  good 
fart  as  I  expected." 

"  And  where's  Malachi  ?"  said  Alfred. 

"  I  dare  say  he  and  John  are  out  together  some- 
where," observed  Henry,  who,  with  Martin,  had 
come  in  before  Alfred. 

"Well,  he  will  lose  his  dinner,"  said  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. 

"  That's  what  I  can  not  afford  to  do,  mother," 
said  Alfred:  "I  am  very  hungry,  and  I  have  not 
more  than  five  minutes  to  spare,  for  that  seed  must 
be  put  in  to-night." 

"I  thought  Malachi  was  with  you,  Alfred,"  said 
Mr.  Campbell. 

"So  he  was,  father,"  replied  Alfred;  "but  he 
left  me.  Now,  mother,  please  to  give  me  my  dinner." 

Alfred  ate  fast,  and  then  rose  from  the  table,  and 
went  away  from  the  house.  The  horse  was  aii 
ready,  and  he  mounted  and  rode  off  for  the  fort,  tel- 
ling Malachi  that  his  father  and  mother  thought 
John  was  with  him;  and  that,  therefore,  he  had 
better  not  go  in  to  dinner,  but  keep  out  of  the  way. 

"Yes,  sir,  that  will  be  best,  and  then  they  can  ask 
no  questions.  Be  quick,  for  I  am  not  at  all  easy 
about  the  boy." 

Their  plans,  however,  to  conceal  the  danger  of 
John  did  not  succeed ;  for  Mrs.  Campbell,  after  the 
loss  of  poor  little  Pircival,  had  become   more  than 


THE   SETTLERS.  117 

ever  solicitous  about  John,  and  a  minute  or  two  after 
Alfred  had  left  the  house,  she  rose  from  the  table 
and  went  to  the  door,  to  see  if  she  could  perceive 
Malachi  and  John  coming  in.  As  it  happened,  Al- 
fred had  just  set  off  in  a  gallop,  and  she  saw  him,  as 
well  as  Malachi  standing  by  himself  and  watching 
Alfred's  departure.  The  very  circumstance  of  Al- 
fred's mysterious  departure  alarmed  her.  He  had 
never  said  that  he  was  going  to  the  fort,  and  that 
John  was  not  with  Malachi  was  certain.  She  went 
into  the  cottage,  and,  sinking  back  in  her  chair,  ex- 
claimed— "  Some  accident  has  happened  to  John  !" 

"Why  should  you  say  so,  my  dear?"  said  Mr. 
Campbell. 

"I'm  sure  of  it,"  replied  Mrs.  Campbell,  bursting 
into  tears.  "  Alfred  is  riding  away  to  the  fort.  Mal- 
achi is  standing  by  himself  outside.  What  can  it  be  ?" 

Mr.  Campbell  and  all  the  others  ran  out  immedi- 
ately, except  Mary  Percival,  who  went  to  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. Mr.  Campbell  beckoned  to  Emma,  and  from 
her  obtained  the  real  state  of  the  case. 

"  It  will  be  better  to  tell  her  at  once,"  said  Mr. 
Campbell,  who  then  went  to  his  wife,  telling  her 
that  John  was  adrift,  and  that  Alfred  had  ridden  to 
the  fort  to  pick  him  up  in  one  of  the  bateaux,  but 
there  was  no  danger  to  be  apprehended. 

"Why  should  they  conceal  it,  if  there  was  no 
danger,  Campbell?"  said  his  wife.  "Yes,  there 
must  be  danger  now  the  water  is  so  rough.  My 
child,  am  I  to  lose  you  as  well  as  my  poor  Perci- 
val !"  continued  Mrs.  Campbell,  again  sobbing. 

Every  attempt  was  made  to  console  her  and  as- 
suage her  fears,  but  with  indifferent  success,  and  the 
afternoon  of  this  day  was  passed  in  great  concern  by 
all,  and  in  an  extreme  stale  of  nervous  anxiety  on 
the  part  of  Mrs.  Campbell.  Toward  the  evening, 
Alfred  was  seen  returning  on  horseback  at  full 
speed.  The  whole  of  the  family  were  out  watching 
his  arrival,  with  beating  hearts  ;  poor  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell in  almost  a  fainting  state.     Alfred  perceived 


118  THE    SETTLERS. 

them  long  before  he  had  crossed  the  prairie,  and 
waved  his  hat  in  token  of  good  tidings. 

"All's  well,  depend  upon  it,  my  dear,"  said  Mr. 
Campbell.  "  Alfred  would  not  wave  his  hat  if  there 
was  any  disaster." 

"  I  must  have  it  from  his  own  mouth,"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell,  almost  breathless. 

'*  Safe  ?"  cried  out  Martin  to  Alfred,  as  he  ap- 
proached. 

"  Safe,  quite  safe  !"  cried  Alfred,  in  return. 

u  Thank  Heaven  !"  cried  Mrs.  Campbell,  in  a  low 
voice,  clasping  her  hands  in  gratitude. 

Alfred  leaped  off  his  saddle,  and  hastened  to  com- 
municate the  news.  John,  trusting  too  much  to  his 
own  powers,  had  gone  out  in  the  punt,  and  soon 
found  out  that  he  could  not  manage  it  in  so  strong  a 
wind.  He  attempted  to  get  back  to  the  beach,  but 
was  unsuccessful,  and  had,  as  we  have  said,  been 
carried  away  by  the  wind  and  current  down  toward 
the  rapids;  but  it  so  happened  that  before  Alfred 
had  arrived  at  the  fort,  Captain  Sinclair  had  observed 
the  punt  adrift,  and,  by  the  aid  of  a  telescope,  ascer- 
tained that  John  was  in  it,  exerting  himself  very  vig- 
orously, but  to  no  purpose.  Captain  Sinclair,  having 
reported  it  to  the  commandant  and  obtained  permis- 
sion, had  launched  one  of  the  bateaux,  manned  by 
the  soldiers,  and  had  brought  John  and  the  punt  on 
shore,  about  four  miles  below  the  fort,  and  not  until 
they  had  arrived  in  the  strong  current  of  the  rapids, 
whicn  in  another  hour  would  have,  in  all  probabil- 
ity, proved  fatal. 

Alfred,  from  the  fort,  had  seen  Captain  Sinclair 
gain  the  shore,  with  John  and  the  punt  in  tow,  and, 
as  soon  as  he  was  satisfied  of  his  brother's  safety, 
had  ridden  back  as  fast  as  he  could,  to  communi- 
cate it.  This  intelligence  gave  them  all  great  de- 
light, and  now  that  they  knew  that  John  was  safe, 
they  waited  his  return  with  patience.  Captain  Sin- 
clair arrived,  with  John  behind  him,  on  horseback, 


THE    SETTLERS.  119 

about  two  hours  afterward,  and  was  gladly  wel- 
comed. 

"  Indeed,  Captain  Sinclair,  we  are  under  great  ob- 
ligations to  you.  Had  you  not  been  so  active,  the 
boy  might  "have  been  lost,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 
"Accept  my  best  thanks." 

"  And  mine,"  said  Mary,  extending  her  hand  to 
him. 

"  John,  you  have  frightened  me  very  much,"  said 
Mrs.  Campbell ;  "  how  could  you  be  so  imprudent 
as  to  go  on  the  lake  in  such  a  high  wind  ?  See, 
what  a  narrow  escape  you  have  had." 

"  I  should  have  been  at  Montreal  to-morrow  morn- 
ing," said  John,  laughing. 

"No,  never;  you  would  have  been  upset  in  the 
rapids  long  before  you  could  get  to  Montreal." 

"Well,  mother,  I  can  swim,"  replied  John. 

"  You  naughty  boy,  nothing  will  make  you  afraid." 

"Well,  ma'am,  it's  a  good  fault,  that  of  having 
confidence  in  yourself,  so  don't  check  it  too  much," 
replied  Malachi.  "  It  saves  many  a  man  who  would 
otherwise  be  lost." 

"  That's  very  true,  Malachi,"  observed  Alfred ; 
"  so,  now  that  he  is  safe  back,  we  won't  scold  John 
any  more.  He  will  know  better  than  to  go  out  in 
such  rough  weather  again." 

"  To  be  sure  1  shall,"  said  John  ;  "  I  don't  want 
to  go  down  the  rapids." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,"  replied 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

Captain  Sinclair  remain  with  them  that  night. 
Before  daylight,  the  family  were  alarmed  by  the  re- 
port of  a  gun,  and  it  was  immediately  supposed  that 
some  attack  had  been  made  on  the  lodge  occupied 
by  Malachi,  Martin,  and  his  wife.  Captain  Sinclair, 
Alfred,  Henry,  and  John,  sprang  out  of  bed,  and  were 
clothed  in  a  minute.  As  soon  as  they  had  armed 
themselves,  they  opened  the  door  cautiously,  and, 
looking  well  round,  went  through  the  passage  to  the 
sheep-fold,  where  the  lodge  was  built.     Everything, 


120  THE   SETTLERS. 

however,  appeared  to  be  quiet,  and  Alfred  knocked 
at  the  door.  Malachi  answered  to  the  inquiry, 
"What  is  the  matter?" 

"  We  heard  the  report  of  a  gun  close  to  the  house, 
just  now,  and  we  thought  something  might  have 
happened." 

"  Oh  !"  cried  Malachi,  laughing,  "  is  that  all  ? 
Then  you  may  all  go  to  bed  again.  It's  my  trap  for 
the  bear — nothing  more.  I  forgot  to  tell  you  last 
night." 

"  Well,  as  we  are  up,  we  may  as  well  go  and  see," 
said  Alfred  ;  "the  day  is  breaking." 

"Well,  sir,  I  am  ready,"  said  Malachi,  coming 
out,  with  his  deer-skin  jacket  in  one  hand  and  his 
rifle  in  the  other." 

They  walked  to  the  maize-field  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  and  found  that  the  trap  had  been  suc- 
cessful, for  a  large  bear  lay  dead  at  the  foot  of  the 
snake-fence. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I've  got  him,"  said  Malachi. 

"  But  what  was  the  trap  ?"  said  Henry. 

"You  see,  sir,  I  tracked  the  brute  over  the  rails 
by  his  broad  foot-mark,  and  as  I  knew  he  would 
come  the  same  way,  I  fixed  the  rifle,  with  a  wire  to 
the  trigger,  so  that  as  he  climbed  up  he  must  touch 
the  wire  with  his  fore-paws,  and  the  muzzle,  point- 
ed a  little  downward,  would  then  about  reach  his 
heart  when  the  gun  went  ofl*.  You  see,  sir,  it  has 
happened  just  as  I  wished  it,  and  there's  another 
good  skin  for  Montreal." 

"  It  is  a  she-bear,"  said  Martin,  who  had  joined 
them,  "  and  she  has  cubs  ;  they  can't  be  far  off." 

"  That's  true,"  replied  Malachi  ;  "  so  now  you  had 
better  all  go  back  again.  Martin  and  I  will  hide, 
and  I'll  answer  for  it,  in  an  hour  we  will  bring  the 
cubs  home  with  us." 

The  rest  of  the  party  returned  to  the  house.  The 
Strawberry  had  already  made  known  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  the  cause  of  the  report.  About  an  hour 
before  breakfast,  Malachi  and  Martin  came  in,  each 


The.  fetllLEl^.  121 

with  a  cub  of  a  few  weeks  old.  The  little  animala 
had  come  in  the  track  of  the  mother  in  search  of  her, 
and  were  pawing  the  dead  body,  as  if  trying  to 
awaken  her,  when  Malachi  and  Martin  secured 
them. 

"What  a  charming  pet,"  said  Emma;  "I  will 
rear  it  for  myself." 

"  And  I'll  have  the  other,"  said  John. 

No  objection  was  raised  to  this,  except  that  Mr. 
Campbell  observed,  that  if  they  became  troublesome 
as  they  grew  up,  they  must  be  parted  with,  which 
was  agreed  to.  Em<ma  and  John  took  possession  of 
their  pets,  and  fed  them  with  milk,  and  in  a  few 
days  they  became  very  tame  ;  one  being  chained  up 
near  the  house,  and  the  other  at  Malachi's  lodge. 
They  soon  grew  very  playful  and  very  amusing  lit- 
tle animals,  and  the  dogs  became  used  to  them,  and 
never  attempted  to  hurt  them;  indeed,  very  often 
Oscar  and  the  bear  would  be  seen  rolling  about  to- 
gether, the  best  friends  in  the  world.  But  in  a  few 
months  they  became  too  large  for  pets,  and  too 
troublesome,  so  one  was  despatched  by  a  bateau  go- 
ing to  Montreal,  as  a  present  to  Mr.  Emmerson,  and 
the  other  was  taken  to  the  fort  by  Captain  Sinclair, 
and  became  a  great  favorite  of  the  soldiers. 
Vol.  II.— 11 


122  THF   FKTTTFB* 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Captain  Sinclair  was  now  very  constantly  at  the 
nouse,  for  in  the  summer  time  the  commandant  al- 
lowed much  more  liberty  to  the  officers.  Although 
the  detention  of  the  Young  Otter  and  the  cause  of 
his  being  detained,  had  been  made  known  to  the 
Angry  Snake,  weeks  passed  away,  and  yet  there  ap- 
peared no  intention  on  the  part  of  the  chief  to  re- 
deem his  young  warrior  by  producing  Percival.  Ev- 
ery day  an  overture  on  his  part  was  expected,  but 
none  came,  and  those  who  were  in  the  secret  were 
in  a  continual  state  of  suspense  and  anxiety.  One 
thing  had  been  ascertained,  which  was,  that  the 
Indian  fired  at  by  John  had  been  killed,  and  this  oc- 
casioned much  fear  on  the  part  of  Malachi  and 
Martin,  that  the  Angry  Snake  would  revenge  the 
death  upon  young  Percival.  This  knowledge  of  the 
Indian  feeling,  however,  they  kept  to  themselves. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  summer  they  had  an  ar- 
rival of  letters  and  'newspapers,  both  from  England 
and  Montreal.  There  was  nothing  peculiarly  inter- 
esting in  the  intelligence  from  England,  although 
the  newspapers  were,  as  usual,  read  with  great 
avidity.  One  paragraph  met  the  eye  of  Henry, 
which  he  immediately  communicated,  observing  at 
the  time  that  they  always  obtained  news  of  Mr. 
Douglas  Campbell  on  every  fresh  arrival.  The  par- 
agraph was  as  follows:  "The  Oxley  hounds  had  a 
splendid  run  on  Friday  last ;"  after  describing  the 
country  they  passed  through,  the  paragraph  ended 
with,  "  We  regret  to  say  that  Mr.  Douglas  Camp- 


THE   SETIEEKS.  123 

bell,  of  Wexton  Hall,  received  a  heavy  fall  from  his 
horse,  in  clearing  a  wide  brook.     He  is,  however, 
we  understand,   doing    well."      The    letters   from 
Montreal,  were,  however,  important.      They  com- 
municated the  immediate  departure  from  that  city 
of  four  families  of  emigrants  who  had  accepted  the 
terms  offered  by  Mr.  Emmerson,  and  were  coming  to 
settle   upon  Mr.    Campbell's   property.     They  also 
stated  that  the  purchase  of  the  other  six  hundred 
acres  of  contiguous  land  had  been  completed,  and 
sent  the  government  receipts  for  the  purchase-money. 
The  news  contained   in  this   letter  induced  Mr. 
Campbell  to  send  a  message  to  the  commandant  of 
the  fort,  by  Captain  Sinclair,  acquainting  him  with 
the  expected  arrival  of  the  emigrant  families,  and 
requesting  to  know  whether  he  would  allow  a  party 
of  soldiers  to  assist  in  raising  the  cottages  necessary 
for  their  reception,  and  begging  the  loan  of  two  or 
three  tents  to  accommodate  them  upon  their  arrival, 
until  their  cottages  should  be  built.     The  reply  of 
the  commandant   was  favorable,  and  now  all  was 
bustle  arid  activity,  that,  if  possible,  the  buildings 
might  be  in  forwardness  previous  to  harvest  time, 
when  they  would  all  have  ample  occupation.     In- 
deed, as  the  hay  harvest  was  just  coming  on,  with- 
out assistance  from  the  fort  they  never  could  have 
got  through  the  work  previous  to  the  winter  setting 
in,  and  it  would  have  been  very  inconvenient  to  have 
had  to  receive  any  of  the  emigrants  into  their  own 
house. 

The  sites  of  the  four  cottages,  or  log  huts,  were 
soon  selected;  they  were  each  of  them  nearly  half 
a  mile  from  Mr.  Campbell's  house,  and  while  some 
of  the  party,  assisted  by  a  portion  of  the  soldiers, 
were  getting  in  the  hay,  the  others,  with  another 
portion,  were  cutting  down  the  trees,  and  building 
up  the  cottages.  In  a  fortnight  after  they  had  com- 
menced, the  emigrants  arrived,  and  were  housed  in 
the  tents  prepared  for  them  ;  and  as  their  labor  was 
now  added   to  that  of  the  others,  in  a  short  time 


124  THE   SETTLERS. 

everything  was  well  in  advance.  The  agreement 
made  by  Mr.  Campbell  was,  that  the  emigrants 
6hould  each  receive  fifty  acres  of  land,  after  they 
had  cleared  for  him  a  similar  quantity  ;  but  there 
were  many  other  conditions,  relative  to  food  and 
supply  of  stock  to  the  emigrant  families,  which  are 
not  worth  the  while  to  dwell  upon.  It  is  sufficient 
to  say  that  Mr.  Campbell,  with  his  former  purchases, 
retained  about  600  acres,  which  he  considered  quite 
sufficient  for  his  farm,  which  was  all  in  a  ring  fence, 
and  with  the  advantage  of  bordering  on  the  lake. 
The  fire  had  cleared  a  great  deal  of  the  new  land, 
so  that  it  required  little  trouble  for  his  own  people 
to  get  it  into  a  fit  state  for  the  first  crop. 

While  tbe  emigrants  and  soldiers  were  hard  at 
work,  the  colonel  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  Campbell,  to 
settle  his  account  with  him,  and  handed  over  a  bill 
upon  government  for  the  planks,  flour,  &c,  supplied 
to  the  fort. 

"  I  assure,  you,  Mr.  Campbell,  I  have  great  pleas- 
ure," said  the  colonel,  "  in  giving  you  every  assist- 
ance, and  I  render  it  the  more  readily  as  I  am  au- 
thorized by  the  governor  so  to  do.  Your  arrival  and 
settling  here  has  proved  very  advantageous ;  for, 
your  supplying  the  fort  has  saved  the  government  a 
great  deal  of  money,  at  the  same  time  that  it  has 
been  profitable  to  you,  and  enabled  you  to  get  rid  of 
your  crops  without  sending  them  down  so  far  as 
Montreal  ;  which  would  have  been  as  serious  an  ex- 
pense to  you,  as  getting  the  provisions  from  Montre- 
al has  proved  to  us.  You  may  keep  the  fatigue  party 
of  soldiers  upon  the  same  terms  as  before,  as  long 
as  they  may  prove  useful  to  you,  provided  they  return 
to  the  fort  by  the  coming  of  winter." 

"  Then  I  will,  if  you  please,  retain  them  for  get- 
ting in  the  harvest ;  we  have  so  much  to  do  that  I 
shall  be  most  happy  to  pay  for  their  assistance." 

I  have  said  that  there  were  four  families  of  emi- 
grants, and  now  I  will  let  my  readers  know  a  little 
more  about  them. 


THE  SETTLERS.  125 

The  first  family  was  a  man  and  his  wife  of  the 
name  of  Harvey  ;  they  had  two  sons  of  fourteen  and 
fifteen,  and  a  daughter  of  eighteen  years  of  age. 
This  man  had  been  a  small  farmer,  and  by  his  in- 
dustry was  gaining  an  honest  livelihood,  and  putting 
by  some  money,  when  his  eldest  son,  who  was  at 
the  time  about  twenty  years  old,  fell  into  bad  com- 
pany, and  was  always  to  be  seen  at  the  alehouses  or 
at  the  fairs,  losing  his  time  and  losing  his  money. 
The  father,  whose  ancestors  had  resided  for  many 
generations  on  the  same  spot,  and  had  always  been, 
as  long  as  they  could  trace  back,  small  farmers  like 
himself,  and  who  was  proud  of  only  one  thing, 
which  was  that  his  family  had  been  noted  for  hon- 
esty and  upright  dealing,  did  all  he  could  to  reclaim 
him,  but  in  vain.  At  last  the  son  was  guilty  of  a 
burglary,  tried,  convicted,  and  transported  for  life. 
The  disgrace  had  such  an  effect  upon  the  father,  that 
he  never  held  up  his  head  afterward;  he  was 
ashamed  to  be  seen  in  the  parish,  and  at  last  he  re- 
solved to  emigrate  to  a  new  country,  where  what 
had  happened  would  not  be  known. 

He  accordingly  sold  off  everything,  and  came  to 
Canada  ;  but  by  the  time  that  he  had  arrived  in  the 
country,  and  paid  all  his  expenses,  he  had  little 
money  left,  and  when  he  heard  from  Mr.  Emmer- 
son  the  terms  offered  by  Mr.  Campbell,  he  gladly 
accepted  them.  The  wife,  his  two  sons  and  his 
daughter,  who  came  with  him,  were  as  industrious 
and  respectable  as  himself. 

The  second  family,  of  the  name  of  Graves,  con- 
sisted of  a  man  and  his  wife,  and  only  one  son,  a 
young  man  grown  up  ;  but  the  wife's  two  sisters 
were  with  them.  He  had  come  from  Buckingham- 
shire, and  had  been  accustomed  to  a  dairy  farm. 

The  third  family  was  a  very  numerous  one,  with 
a  man  and  his  wife,  of  the  name  of  Jackson  ;  they 
had  been  farmers  and  market  gardeners  near  Lon- 
don, and  had  brought  out  some  money  with  them; 
but,  as  I  have  mentioned,  they  had  a  very  large 

11* 


126  THE   SETTLERS. 

family,  most  of  them  too  young  to  be  very  useful  for 
a  few  years.  They  had  seven  children  :  a  girl  of 
eighteen,  two  boys  of  twelve  and  thirteen,  then 
three  little  girls,  and  a  boy  an  infant.  Jackson  had 
money  enough  to  purchase  a  farm,  but  being  a  very 
prudent  man,  and  reflecting  that  he  might  not  suc- 
ceed at  first,  and  that  his  large  family  would  run 
away  with  all  his  means,  he  decided  upon  accepting 
the  terms  proposed  by  Mr.  Campbell. 

The  fourth  and  last  of  the  emigrant  families  was 
a  young  couple  of  the  name  of  Meredith.  The 
husband  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  in  Shropshire,  who 
had  died,  and  divided  his  property  between  his  three 
sons:  two  of  them  remained  upon  the  farm  and  paid 
tne  youngest  brother  his  proportion  in  money,  who, 
being  of  a  speculative  turn,  resolved  to  come  to 
Canada,  and  try  his  fortune.  He  married  just  before 
he  came  out,  and  was  not  as  yet  encumbered  with 
any  family  ;  he  was  a  fine  young  man,  well  educa- 
ted, and  his  wife  a  very  clever  pretty  young  woman. 

Thus  there  was  an  addition  of  twenty-one  souls  to 
the  population  of  Mr.  Campbell's  settlement,  which 
with  their  own  ten  made  a  total  of  thirty-one 
people,  out  of  whom  they  reckoned  that  thirteen 
were  capable  of  bearing  arms,  and  defending  them 
from  any  attack  of  the  Indians. 

Before  harvest  time,  the  cottages  were  all  built, 
and  the  emigrants  were  busy  felling  round  their  new 
habitations,  to  lay  up  fire-wood  for  the  winter,  and 
clearing  away  a  spot  for  a  garden,  and  for  planting 
potatoes  in  the  following  spring.  The  harvest  be- 
ing ripe  again,  gave  them  all  full  employment ;  the 
corn  was  got  in  with  great  expedition  by  the  united 
labor  of  the  soldiers  and  emigrants,  when  the  for- 
mer, having  completed  their  work,  returned  to  the 
fort,  and  the  Campbells,  with  the  addition  to  their 
colony,  were  now  left  alone.  Visiting  the  emigrants 
in  their  own  cottages,  and  making  acquaintance  with 
the  children,  was  now  a  great  source  of  amusement 
to  the  Miss  Percivals.     "Various  plans  were  started 


THE   SETTLERS.  127 

relative  to, establishing  a  Sunday-school  and  many 
other  usttful  arrangements ;  one,  however,  took 
place  immediately,  which  was,  that  divine  service 
was  performed  by  Mr.  Campbell  in  his  own  house, 
and  was  attended  by  all  the  emigrants  every  Sun- 
day. Mr.  Campbell  had  every  reason  to  be  pleased 
with  their  conduct  up  to  the  present  time;  they  all 
appeared  willing,  never  murmured  or  complained  at 
any  task  allotted  to  them,  and  were  satisfied  with 
Mr.  Campbell's  arrangements  relative  to  supplies. 
Parties  were  now  again  formed  for  the  chase ;  Mer- 
edith and  young  Graves  proved  to  be  good  woods- 
men and  capital  shots  with  the  rifle,  so  that  now 
they  had  enough  to  send  out  a  party  on  alternate 
days,  while  one  or  two  of  the  others  fished  all  the 
day  and  salted  down  as  fast  as  they  caught,  that 
there  might  be  a  full  supply  for  the  winter. 

But  although  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  and  the 
Miss  Percivals,  as  well  as  the  major  part  of  the  fam- 
ily were  fully  satisfied  and  happy  in  their  future 
prospects,  there  were  four  who  were  in  a  state  of 
great  anxiety  and  suspense.  These  were  Alfred, 
Malachi,  Martin,  and  the  Stawberry,  who,  being  ac- 
quainted with  the  existence  of  young  Percival,  found 
their  secret  a  source  of  great  annoyance,  noAV  that, 
notwithstanding  the  capture  and  detention  of  the 
Young  Otter,  no  advance  appeared  to  be  made  for 
his  exchange,  nor  any  signs  of  an  overture  on  the 
part  of  the  Angry  Snake.  Captain  Sinclair,  who 
was  usually  at  the  farm  twice  during  the  week,  was 
also  much  fretted  at  finding  that  every  time  Malachi 
and  Alfred  had  no  more  information  to  give  him, 
than  he  had  to  impart  to  them.  They  hardly  knew 
how  to  act :  to  let  a  second  winter  pass  away  with- 
out attempting  to  recover  the  boy,  appeared  to  them 
to  be  delaying  too  long,  and  yet  to  communicate  in- 
telligence which  might  only  end  in  bitter  disappoint- 
ment, seemed  unadvisable  ;  for  the  Indian  chief,  out 
of  revenge,  might  have  killed  the  boy,  and  then  the 
grief  of  the  father  and  mother  would  be  more  intense 


128  THE   SETTLERS. 

than  before.  It  would  be  opening  a  wound  to  no 
purpose.  This  question  was  frequently  canvassed 
by  Alfred  and  Captain  Sinclair,  but  an  end  was  put 
to  all  their  debates  on  the  subject  by  an  unexpected 
occurrence.  Mary  Percival  had  one  morning  gone 
down  to  a  place  called  the  Cedar  Swamp,  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  house  to  the  westward,  near  to  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  to  pick  cranberries  for  preserving. 
One  of  the  little  emigrant  girls,  Martha  Jackson, 
was  with  her  ;  when  one  basket  was  full,  Mary  sent 
it  home  by  the  little  girl,  with  directions  to  come 
back  immediately.  The  girl  did  so,  but  on  her  re- 
turn to  the  Cedar  Swamp,  Mary  Percival  was  not  to 
be  seen.  The  basket  which  she  had  retained  with 
her  was  lying  with  all  the  cranberries  upset  out  of 
it  on  a  hill  by  the  side  of  the  swamp.  The  little 
girl  remained  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  calling  out 
Miss  Percival's  name,  but  not  receiving  any  answer, 
she  became  frightened,  imagining  that  some  wild 
beast  had  attacked  her ;  and  she  ran  back  as  fast  as 
she  could  to  the  house,  acquainting  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Campbell  with  what  had  happened.  Martin  and 
Alfred  were  at  the  mill ;  Malachi,  fortunately,  was 
at  his  own  lodge,  and  Strawberry  ran  for  him,  told 
him  what  the  s:irl  had  reported,  and  having  done  so, 
she  looked  at  Malachi,  and  said  "Angry  Snake." 

"Yes,  Strawberry,  that  is  the  case,  I  have  no 
doubt,"  replied  Malachi ;  "  but  not  a  word  at  present ; 
I  knew  he  would  be  at  something,  but  I  did  not  think 
that  he  dared  do  that  either  ;  however,  we  shall 
see.  Go  back  to  the  house,  and  tell  master  and 
missis  that  I  have  gone  down  to  the  Cedar  Swamp, 
and  will  return  as  soon  as  possible,  and  do  you  fol- 
low me  as  fast  as  you  can,  f  >t  your  eyes  are  younger 
than  mine,  and  I  shall  want  the  use  of  them:  tell 
them  not  to  s^nd  anybody  else,  it  will  do  harm  in- 
stead of  good,  for  they  will  trample  the  ground,  and 
we  may  lose  the  track." 

Malachi  caught  up  his  rifle,  examined  the  priming, 
and  set  off  in  the  direction  of  the  swamp,  while  the 


THE   SETTLERS.  129 

Strawberry  returned  to  the  house  to  give  his  mes- 
sage to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell.  Leaving  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell,  who  were  in  a  state  of  great  alarm, 
and  had  sent  the  little  girl,  Mariha  Jackson,  to  sum- 
mon Alfred  and  Martin  (for  John  and  Henry  were, 
out  in  the  woods  after  the  cattle),  the  Strawberry 
went  down  to  the  Cedar  Swamp  to  join  Malachi, 
whom  she  found  standing  still,  leaning  on  his  rifle, 
near  the  basket  which  had  contained  the  cranberries. 

"  Now,  Strawberry,  we  must  find  out  how  many 
of  them  there  were,  and  which  way  they  have  gone," 
said  Malachi,  in  the  Indian  tongue. 

"Here,"  said  Strawberry,  pointing  to  a  mark  on 
the  short  grass,  which  never  could  have  attracted 
the  observation  of  one  unused  to  an  Indian  life. 

"  I  see,  child  ;  I  see  that  and  two  more,  but  we 
can  not  tell  much  as  yet ;  let  us  follow  up  the  trail 
till  we  come  to  some  spot  where  we  may  read  the 
print  better.  That's  her  foot,"  continued  Malachi, 
after  they  had  proceeded  two  or  three  yards.  "  The 
sole  of  a  shoe  cuts  the  grass  sharper  than  a  mocassin. 
We  have  no  easy  task  just  now,  and  if  the  others 
come,  they  may  prevent  us  from  finding  the  track 
altogether." 

"  Here,  again,"  said  Strawberry,  stooping  close  to 
the  short  dry  grass. 

"Yes;  you're  right,  child,  "replied  Malachi.  "Let 
us  once  follow  it  to  l he  bottom  of  ibis  hill,  and  then 
we  shall  do  better." 

By  the  closest  inspection  and  minutest  search, 
Malachi  and  the  Strawberry  continued  to  follow  the 
almost  imperceptible  track  till  they  arrived  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hill,  about  a  hundred  yards  from  where 
they  started.  It  had  become  more  difficult,  as  the 
print  of  Mary's  fooi,  which  was  more  easily  percep- 
tible than  the  others,  had  served  them  for  a  few 
yards  :  after  which  it  was  no  more  to  be  distinguish- 
ed, and  it  was  evident  that  she  had  been  lifted  up 
from  the  ground.  This  satisfied  them  that  she  had 
been  carried  off.     When  they  arrived  at  the  bottom 


130  THE   SETTLERS. 

of  the  hill,  they  could  clearly  distinguish  the  print 
marks  of  mocassins,  and  by  measuring  very  exactly 
the  breadth  and  length  of  the  impressions,  made  out 
that  they  were  of  two  different  people.  These  they 
continued  to  follow  till  they  arrived  at  the  forest, 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  swamp,  when 
they  heard  the  hallooing  of  Alfred  and  Martin,  to 
which  Malachi  answered,  and  they  soon  joined  him. 

"What  is  it,  Malachi?" 

"  She  has  been  carried  off,  sir,  I've  no  doubt,"  re- 
plied Malachi,  "  by  the  Snake.  The  rascal  is  deter- 
mined to  have  the  vantage  of  us.  We  have  one 
prisoner,  and  he  has  made  two." 

Malachi  then  explained  why  he  was  certain  that 
she  had  been  carried  away,  and  Martin  agreed  with 
him  immediately.  Alfred  then  said — "  Well,  but 
now,  before  we  act,  let  us  consult  what  is  best  to  be 
done." 

"  Well,  sir,"  replied  Malachi,  "  the  best  to  do 
now,  at  this  moment,  is  for  the  Strawberry  and  me 
to  follow  the  trail,  and  try  if  we  can  not  obtain  more 
information,  and  when  we  have  got  all  we  can,  we 
must  form  a  party,  and  go  in  pursuit.  Let  us  only 
get  fairly  on  the  trail,  and  we  will  not  lose  it,  espe- 
cially if  the  Strawberry  is  with  us,  for  she  has  a  bet- 
ter eye  than  any  Indian  I  ever  knew,  be  it  man  or 
woman." 

"  Well,  that  is  all  right,  Malachi ;  but  what  shall 
I  do  now  while  you  are  following  up  the  trail  ?" 

"Well,  sir,  you  must  prepare  the  parly,  and  get 
them  all  ready  for  a  start ;  for  we  must  be  off  in  three 
hours,  if  possible." 

"  Captain  Sinclair  had  better  come  with  us.  He 
will  be  quite  frantic  if  he  does  not,"  said  Alfred. 

"  Well,  then,  perhaps  he  had,  sir,"  replied  Mala- 
chi, coldly  ;  "  but  I'd  rather  he  were  away.  He 
won't  be  so  cool  and  calm  as  he  ought  to  be." 

*'  Never  fear  ;  but  I  must  now  go  to  my  father  and 
mother,  and   tell  the  whole  of  the  circumstances 


THE    SETTLERS.  131 

which  have  occurred.  I  must  tell  them  thut  Percival 
is  alive." 

♦'Why  so,  sir?"  replied  Malachi.  "  It  will  only 
fret  them  more.  It's  quite  sufficient  that  they  should 
have  to  lament  Miss  Percival  being  carried  off,  with- 
out their  knowing  what  fresh  cause  for  anxiety  there 
is  about  the  boy.  1  would  only  say  that  Mi-ss  Mary 
has  been  carried  off  by  somebody,  and  leave  out  all 
about  our  having  captured  the  Young  Otter,  and  why 
we  took  him." 

"Well,  perhaps  it  will  be  better,"  said  Alfred; 
°  then  I'll  leave  Martin  here,  and  ride  off"  to  the  fort 
to  Captain  Sinclair.  Shall  I  ask  for  any  soldiers?" 
"Yes,  sir;  if  there  be  any  good  backwoodsmen 
among  ihem,  we  may  find  a  couple  of  them  of  ser- 
vice. We  ought  to  have  a  larger  force  than  the  In- 
dian ;  and  the  latter,  if  you  recollect,  is  stated  at  six 
with  the  chief.  Now,  there  are  you,  Martin,  and  I, 
that's  three  ;  Captain  Sinclair  and  two  soldiers  would 
be  six  ;  young  Graves  and  Meredith  make  eight. 
That's  sufficient,  sir  ;  more  than  sufficient  does  harm. 
Mr.  Henry  must  stay,  and  so  must  Mr.  John,  because 
he  will  not  be  home  before  we  are  away.  I'm  sorry 
for  that,  as  I  should  have  liked  him  to  be  with  me." 
"It  can't  be  helped,"  replied  Alfred.  "Well, 
then,  Martin  and  I  will  go  back  at  once ;  in  two 
hours  I  will  return  with  Captain  Sinclair,  if  I  possi- 
bly can." 

"  As  quick  as  you  please,  sir,  and  Martin  will  get 
everything  ready  for  the  journey,  for  we  must  not  fire 
our  rifles,  if  we  can  help  it." 

Alfred  hastened  away,  and  was  soon  followed  by 
Martin,  to  whom  Malachi  had  given  some  directions. 
Malachi  and  the  Strawberry  then  continued  to  follow 
the  trail,  which  they  traced  through  the  thickest  of 
the  wood  for  more  than  hour,  when  ihey  came  upon 
a  spot  where  a  fire  had  been  lighted,  and  the  ground 
trodden  down,  evidently  showing  that  the  parties 
had  been  living  there  some  time. 


132  THE    SETTLERS. 

"  Here  was  the  nest  of  the  whole  gang  "  resumed 
Malachi,  as  he  looked  round. 

The  Strawberry,  who  had  been  examining  the 
ground,  said — 

"  Here  is  her  foot  again." 

"Yes,  yes;  it's  clear  enough  that  two  of  thera 
have  carried  her  off  and  brought  her  here  to  where 
the  others  were  waiting  for  them,  and  from  here  the 
whole  party  have  made  their  start.  Now  we  have 
the  new  trail  to  find,  and  that  they  have  taken  every 
care  to  prevent  us,  I  do  not  doubt." 

The  Strawberry  now  pointed  to  a  mark  near  where 
the  fire  had  been  lighted,  and  said,  "The  mocassin 
of  a  squaw." 

"Right,  then  she  is  with  them,  so  much  the  bet- 
ter," replied  Malachi,  "for,  as  she  sent  me  that  let- 
ter, she  may  serve  us  still,  if  she  chooses." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Previous  to  his  starting  for  the  fort,  Alfred  had  a 
hasty  communication  with  his  father  and  mother,  in 
which  he  informed  them  simply  that  it  was  evident 
that  Mary  had  been  carried  off,  and  that  it  was  the 
opinion  of  Malachi  and  Martin,  that  the  Angry  Snake 
was  the  party  to  be  suspected. 

"  But  Avhat  cause  could  he  have  ?"'  said  Emma, 
weeping 


<« 


Merely  to  get  powder  and  shot  as  a  reward  for 
bringing  fu-r  back  again,"  replied  Alfred  ;  "  so  there 
is  not  anything  to  fear  as  to  her  being  ill-treated ; 
but  if  he  has  any  other  reason  for  what  he  has  done, 
it  is  well  known  that  an  Indian  always  respects  a 
female.     But  here  comes  my  horse." 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do,  Alfred  ?"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell,  who  was  in  a  state  of  great  agitation. 

"B,ide  to  the  fort  for  assistance,  bring  Captain  Sin- 
clair, and  go  in  pursuit  as  fast  as  we  can,  mother. 


THE   SETTLERS.  133 

Martin  will  get  all  ready  by  my  return,  Malachi  is 
following  up  the  trail  with  Strawberry.  But  there 
is  no  time  to  be  lost ;  I  shall  soon  be  back." 

Alfred  then  sprang  upon  his  horse  which  Martin 
had  brought  to  the  door,  and  galloped  away  to  the 
fort. 

As  may  be  supposed,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  and 
Emma  were  in  great  distress  ;  this  did  not,  however, 
prevent  them  from  listening  to  Martin,  and  supply- 
ing him  with  all  that  he  requested,  which  was  salt 
pork  and  other  food  for  their  journey,  powder  and 
shot  for  their  rifles,  &c.  Having  specified  all  that 
was  wanted,  Martin  then  went  off  to  summon  young 
Graves  and  Meredith;  they  were  soon  found,  and 
when  they  heard  the  intelligence,  were  ready  in  a 
minute  for  departure.  Their  rifles  and  an  extra  pair 
of  mocassins  each  was  all  that  they  required  for  the 
journey,  and  in  a  i'ew  minutes  they  accompanied 
Martin  to  the  house.  After  they  had  been  occupied 
for  a  little  time  in  dividing  the  various  articles  into 
different  packages,  that  each  might  carry  his  propor- 
tion, Mr.  Campbell  said — 

"  Martin,  supposing  that  you  and  Malachi  are  cor- 
rect in  your  supposition,  where  do  you  think  that 
they  will  take  my  poor  niece  ?" 

"Right  away  to  their  own  wigwams,  sir,"  replied 
Martin. 

"Have  you  any  idea  how  far  that  may  be?"  said 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  I  have  heard  that  the  Angry  Snake's 
quarters  are  about  twelve  days'  journey  from  this." 

•'  Twelve  days'  journey  !  how  far  is  a  journey  ?" 

"As  far  as  a  stout  man  can  walk  in  a  day,  ma'am." 

"  And  will  my  niece  have  to  walk  all  that  way  ?" 

"Why,  yes,  ma'am;  I  don't  see  how  it  can  be 
otherwise  ;  I  don't  know  of  the  Indians  having  any 
horses,  although  they  may  have." 

"  But  she  can  not  walk  as  far  as  a  man,"  replied 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

Vol.  II.— 12 


134  THE   SETTLERS. 

"  No,  ma'am,  and  so  I  suppose  they  will  be  twenty 
days  going  instead  of  twelve." 

"  Will  they  ill  treat  or  ill  use  her,  Martin  ?"  said 
Emma. 

"No,  ma'am,  I  shouldn't  think  they  would,  aU 
though  they  will  make  her  walk,  and  will  tie  her  at 
night  when  they  stop." 

"Poor  Mary;  what  will  she  suffer !"  exclaimed 
Emma ;  "  and  if  you  do  come  up  with  them,  Mar- 
tin, will  they  give  her  up  to  you  1" 

"  We  shan't  ask  their  leave  miss,"  replied  Mar- 
tin ;  "  we  shall  take  her." 

"But  not  without  bloodshed,  Martin,"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell. 

"  No,  ma'am,  certainly  not  without  bloodshed,  for 
either  the  Indians  must  destroy  us  or  we  them;  if 
we  conquer,  not  an  Indian  will  be  left  alive,  and  if 
they  master  us,  it  will  be  about  the  same  thing  I 
suppose." 

"  Heaven  protect  us  !  but  this  is  dreadful ;  I  was 
prepared  for  difficulties  and  annoyances  when  I 
came  out  here,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Campbell ;  "  but 
not  for  such  trials  as  these." 

"Never  fear  but  we'll  bring  her  back,  ma'am,'' 
said  Martin  ;  "Malachi  is  a  better  Indian  than  them 
all,  and  he'll  circumvent  them." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?" 

"  I  mean,  ma'am,  that  we  will,  if  possible,  fall 
upon  them  unawares,  and  then  we'll  have  the  ad- 
vantage, for  half  of  them  will  be  killed  before  they 
know  that  they  are  attacked  ;  we'll  fight  them  Indian 
fashion,  ma'am." 

Mrs.  Campbell  continued  her  interrogatories  till 
Alfred  was  seen  at  the  end  of  the  prairie  returning 
at  full  speed,  accompanied  by  Captain  Sinclair  and 
two  other  men,  also  on  horseback. 

"  Here  they  come,"  said  Martin  ;  "  and  they  have 
lost  no  time,  that's  certain." 

"Poor  Captain  Sinclair!  what  must  be  his  feel- 
ings ;  I  pity  him,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 


THE   SETTLERS.  135 

"He  must  take  it  coolly  nevertheless,"  observed 
Martin,  "  or  he  may  do  more  harm  than  good." 

Alfred  and  Captain  Sinclair  now  dismounted; 
they  had  brought  with  them  two  of  the  soldiers  who 
were  well  used  to  the  woods,  and  excellent  shots 
with  the  rifle.  A  hurried  conversation  of  a  few 
minutes  took  place,  but  time  was  too  precious,  and 
Alfred,  embracing  his  father  and  mother,  who  as 
thev  shook  hands  with  Captain  Sinclair,  expressed 
in  a  melancholy  way  their  hopes  for  their  success, 
the  party  of  seven  which  had  been  collected  set  off 
to  rejoin  Malachi  and  the  Strawberry. 

Malachi  and  Strawberry  had  not  been  idle  ;  the 
latter  had  run  back  to  their  lodge  and  procured  a 
bow  and  arrows,  and  since  that  they  had  tracked  the 
footmarks  through  the  forest  for  more  than  a  mile, 
when  they  had  come  to  a  small  rivulet  which  ran 
through  the  forest.  Here  the  trail  was  lost,  at  least 
it  was  not  to  be  perceived  anywhere  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  rivulet,  it  was  to  be  presumed  that  to 
conceal  their  trail  the  Indians  had  walked  in  the 
water,  either  up  or  down,  for  a  certain  distance  be- 
fore they  put  their  feet  on  the  other  side  ;  but  as  it 
was  near  the  time  that  they  might  expect  the  arrival 
of  Alfred  and  the  others,  Malachi  had  returned  to 
the  spot  where  Alfred  and  Martin  had  left  them, 
leaving  the  Strawberry  to  walk  down  and  up  the  side 
of  the  rivulet  to  recover  the  trail.  As  soon  as  the 
pari/  joined  him,  they  and  Malachi  set  off  to  where 
the  trail  had  been  lost,  and  the  latter  had  left  the 
Strawberry. 

There  thev  waited  some  time,  as  the  Strawberry 
was  not  in  sight,  and  they  took  this  opportunity  of 
distributing  the  provisions  and  ammunition  among 
them.  Captain  Sinclair,  although  his  feelings  may 
well  he  imagined,  was  very  active  in  his  arrange- 
ments, and  showed  that  if  his  heart  was  smitten,  his 
head  was  clear.  The  order  of  the  march  was  set- 
tled bv  Malachi  and  him,  and  as  soon  as  all  was 
arranged,  they  waitel  impatiently  for  the  return  of 


136  THE   SETTLERS. 

the  Indian  girl  ;  she  came  at  last,  and  informed 
them  that  she  had  recovered  the  trail  about  three 
miles  up  the  course  of  the  stream,  and  they  all 
started  immediately.  As  was  agreed,  they  kept  per- 
fect silence,  and  followed  the  newly-discovered  trail 
for  about  a  mile,  when  on  their  arrival  at  a  clear 
spot  in  the  woods,  where  the  grass  was  very  short 
and  dry,  they  were  again  at  fault.  They  went  over 
to  the  other  side  of  this  heath,  to  see  if  they  could 
again  fall  in  with  it,  but  after  half  an  hour's  search, 
could  not  discover  it,  when  they  were  summoned  by 
a  low  whistle  from  the  Strawberry,  who  had  returned 
to  the  spot  where  the  trail  had  been  lost. 

"They  have  turned  back  again,"  said  the  Straw- 
berry, pointing  to  the  former  footmarks  ;  "  see,  the 
track  of  the  mocassins  is  both  ways." 

"  That's  true,"  said  Malachi,  after  a  close  exami- 
nation ;  "now  then,  Strawberry,  to  find  out  where 
they  have  left  the  old  trail  again.  I  told  you,  sir," 
continued  Malachi  to  Alfred,  "  that  the  Strawberry 
would  be  useful ;  she  has  the  eye  of  a  falcon." 

It  was  not  till  another  half  hour  had  elapsed  that 
the  spot  where  they  had  left  the  trail,  which,  to 
deceive  those  who  might  pursue  them,  the  Indians 
had  returned  upon,  was  discovered,  and  then  they 
started  a^ain,  and  proceeded  with  caution,  led  by 
the  Strawberry,  until  she  stopped  and  spoke  to  Mal- 
achi in  the  Indian  tongue,  pointing  at  a  small  twig 
broken  upon  one  of  the  bushes. 

"  That's  true,  let  us  see  if  it  happens  again. '  In 
a  few  moments  the  Strawberrv  pointed  out  another. 

"  Then  all's  right,"  said  Malachi,  "  I  said  that  she 
could  help  us  if  she  chose,  and  so  she  has.  The 
Indian  woman  who  wrote  the  letter,'"  continued 
Malachi,  turning  to  Captain  Sinclair  and  Alfred,  "is 
our  friend  still.  See,  sir,  she  has,  wherever  she  has 
dared  to  do  it  without  being  seen  by  the  Indians, 
broken  down  a  small  twig,  as  a  guide  to  us.  Now, 
if  she  has  continued  to  do  this,  we  shall  not  have 
much  trouble." 


THE    SETTLERS.  137 

They  continued  their  course  through  the  woods 
until  the  sun  went  down,  and  they  could  see  no 
longer,  having  made  a  journey  of  about  nine  miles 
from  the  setilement.  They  then  laid  down  for  the 
night  under  a  large  tree  ;  the  weather  was  very  warm, 
and  they  did  not  light  a  fire,  as  they  had  some  cooked 
provisions. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  it  was  daylight 
they  made  a  hasty  meal,  and  resumed  their  task.' 
lhe  trail  was  now  pretty  clear,  and  was  occasion- 
ally verified  by  the  breaking  of  a  twig,  as  before, 
inis  day  they  made  sixteen  miles  journey,  and  at 
the  close  of  it  they  arrived  at  the  borders  of  a  lake 
about  ten  miles  long,  and  from  one-and-a-half  to  two 
wide ;  the  trail  went  right  to  the  shore  of  the  lake, 
and  then  disappeared. 

"Here  they  must  have  taken  to  the  water,"  said 
Alfred  ;  "  but  what  means  have  they  had  to  cross  ?" 
"That  we  must   discover,   somehow  or  another 
sir,"  replied  Malachi,  "  or  else  Ave  shall  not  find  the 
trail  again ;  perhaps,  however,  we  shall  see  to-mor- 
row morning  ;  it  is  too  dark  now  to  attempt  to  find 
out,  and  we  may  do  more  harm  than  good  bv  track- 
ing down  the  bank.    We  must  bring  to  for  the  night 
There  is  a  high  rock  there  on  lhe  beach  farther°up* 
we  had  better  go  there,  as  we  can  light  a  fire  behind 
the  rock  without  being  discovered  by  it,  supposing 
the  Indians  are  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  to-night 
we  must  cook  all  our  provisions  if  we  possibly  can, 
for,  depend  upon  it,  we  have  travelled  faster  to-day 
than  they  can  have  done  with  the  young  lady   and 
if  we  can  once  get  well  on  the  trail" again,  we  shall 
soon  be  up  with  them." 

'God  grant  that  we  may!"  exclaimed  Captain 
Sinclair ;  "  the  idea  of  what  poor  Mary  must  suiler 
almost  drives  me  mad."  ' 

"Yes,  sir,  she  will  be  terribly  foot-sore,  I  have  no 
doubt  replied  Malachi,  "  but  the  Indians  will  not 
treat  her  ill,  depend  upon  it." 

12* 


138  THE   SETTLERS. 

Captain  Sinclair  sighed,  but  made  no  reply. 

As  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the  mass  of  rock  which 
Malachi  had  pointed  out,  they  all  commenced  col- 
lecting fire-wood,  and  the  Strawberry  in  a  few 
minutes  had  a  sufficient  fire  for  their  purpose.  They 
had  not  any  cooking  utensils  with  them,  but  the 
pork  was  cut  in  slices,  and  stuck  upon  the  ends  of 
small  sticks  round  the  fire,  until  it  was  sufficiently 
cooked,  and  then  it  was  packed  up  again  in  parcels, 
with  the  exception  of  what  was  retained  for  their 
supper.  They  had  finished  their  meal,  and  were 
sitting  round  the  embers  of  the  fire,  conversing,  and 
calculating  the  probabilities  as  to  their  overtaking 
the  Indians,  when  Martin  sprang  up,  with  his  rifle 
ready  to  bring  to  his  shoulder. 

"  What  is  it?"  said  Alfred  in  a  low  tone,  as  Mar- 
tin held  up  his  finger  as  a  sign  for  silence. 

"There's  somebody  coming  this  way — he  is  be- 
hind that  large  tree,"  said  Martin  ;  "  I  see  his  head 
now,  but  it  is  too  dark  to  make  out  who  it  may  be." 

As  Martin  said  this,  a  low  and  singular  sort  of 
whistle  between  the  teeth  was  heard,  upon  which  the 
Strawberry  gently  put  down  Martin's  rifle  with  her 
hand,  saying, 

"  It  is  John." 

"John  ;  impossible,"  said  Alfred. 

"  It  is  "  replied  Strawberry.  "  I  know  well  that 
whistle.     I  go  to  fetch  him.     Have  no  fear." 

Strawberry  stepped  out  from  the  group,  and  went 
up  to  the  tree,  calling  John  softly  by  name,  and  in  a 
Uiw  seconds  afterward  returned,  leading  John  by 
the  hand,  who,  wiihout  saying  a  word,  quietly  seated 
himself  down  by  the  fire. 

"  Well,  John,  how  did  you  come  here  ?"  exclaimed 
Alfred. 

"  Followed  trail,"  replied  John. 

"But  how  — when  did  you  leave  home  ?" 

"  Yesterday,"  replied  John,  "  when  I  came  back." 

"But  do  your  father  and  mother  know  that  you 
have  come  ?"  said  Captain  Sinclair. 


THE    SETTLERS.  139 

"I  met  old  Graves,  and  told  him,"  replied  John. 
"  Have  you  any  meat  ?" 

"  The  boy  has  had  nothing  since  he  left,  I'll  an- 
swer for  it,""  said  Martin,  as  the  Strawberry  handed 
some  of  the  pork  to  John,  "  have  you,  John  ?" 
"  No,"  replied  John,  with  his  mouth  full. 
"  Let  him  eat,"  said  Malachi,  "  it's  long  for  a  lad 
to  be  two  days  without  food,  for  I'll  answer  he  left  as 
soon  as  he  heard  we  were  gone,  and  did  not  wait  for 
yesterday's  supper.  Indeed,  he  must  have  done  so, 
for  he  must  have  followed  the  trail  some  time  yes- 
terday to  be  up  with  us  to-night,  so  let  him  eat  in 
quiet." 

"  What  surprises  me,  Malachi,  is  how  he  could 
have  found  his  wav  to  us." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  do  confess  that  I'm  as  much  surprised 
almost  as  I  am  pleased,"  replied  Malachi.  "  It  is 
really  a  great  feat  for  a  lad  to  accomplish  all  by 
himself,  and  I  am  proud  of  him  for  having  done  it :  but 
from  the  first  I  saw  what  a  capital  woodsman  he 
would  make,  and  he  has  not  disappointed  me." 

"  There  are  not  many  who  Would  have  been  able 
to  do  it,  that's  certain,'"  said  Martin  ;  "  L  wonder  as 
much  as  you  do,  Mr.  Alfred,  how  he  could  have  done 
it — but  he  has  the  gift." 

"  But  suppose  he  had  not  come  up  with  us,  how 
would  he  have  lived  in  these  wuods  ?  It's  a  mercy 
that  he  has  fallen  in  with  us,"  said  Captain  Sinclair. 
Juhn  slapped  the  barrel  of  his  rifle,  which  was 
lying  by  him,  and  which  Captain  Sinclair  had  L.\ot 
perceived. 

"You  don't  think  that  John  would  come  into  the 

woods  without  his  rifle,  sir,  do  you  ?"  said  Malachi. 

"  1   did   not   perceive   that  he  had  it  with  him," 

said  Captain  Sinclair,  "  but  I  certainly  ought  to  have 

known  John  belter." 

John  having  finished  his  supper,  they  all  lay  down 
to  rest,  one  keeping  watch  that  they  might  not  be 
surprised. 
At  daylight,  they  made  their  breakfast,  and  then 


140  THE    SETTLERS. 

went  down  again  to  the  borders  of  the  lake,  where 
the  trail  had  been  lost.  After  a  1/mg  examination, 
Malachi  called  the  Strawberry,  and  pointing  to  the 
edge  of  the  water,  asked  her  to  look  there.  The 
Strawberry  did  so,  and  at  last  decided  that,  there  was 
the  mark  of  the  bottom  of  a  canoe  which  had  been 
grounded. 

"  Yes,  I  thought  so,"  said  Malachi.  "  They  have 
had  their  canoe  all  ready,  and  have  crossed  the  wa- 
ter ;  now,  we  must  walk  quite  round  the  lake  to 
discover  the  trail  again,  and  that  will  give  them  half 
a  day's  start  of  us." 

They  immediately  set  off  coasting  the  shores  of 
the  lake,  until  they  arrived  at  the  other  side,  care- 
fully examining  the  ground  as  they  went.  This  took 
them  till  noon,  by  which  time  they  had  arrived  at 
that  part  of  the  lake  which  was  opposite  to  the  larjre 
rock  behind  which  they  had  kindled  their  lire  the 
night  before  ;  but  no  traces  were  to  be  perceived. 

"  They  have  not  crossed  over  in  a  straight  line," 
said  Captain  Sinclair,  "  that  is  evident ;  we  must 
now  try  more  to  the  northward." 

This  they  did  ;  and  at  last  discovered  that  the 
canoe  had  crossed  over  to  the  north  point  of  the  lake, 
having  coasted  along  the  eastern  shore  the  whole 
way.  The  spot  of  landing  was  very  evident,  and  for 
some  distance  they  could  trace  where  the  canoe  had 
been  hauled  up.  It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon, 
and  it  became  a  question  whether  they  should  fol- 
low the  trail,  or  discover  the  place  of  concealment 
of  the  canoe,  as  it  might  be  advantngeous  to  know 
wnere  it  was  when  they  returned.  It  was  decided 
that  they  should  first  discover  the  canoe,  and  this 
was  not  done  till  after  a  search  of  two  hours,  when 
they  found  it  concealed  in  the  bushes  about  one  mile 
from  the  lake.  They  then  followed  the  trail  about 
.'wo  miles  ;  the  twigs  had  been  bent  and  and  broken, 
as  before,  which  was  a  great  help  to  them,  but  the 
night  was  now  closing  in.  Having  arrived  at  a  clear 
knoll,  they  took  up  their  quarters  under  the  trees, 


THE   SETTLERS.  14l 

and  retired  to  rest.  At  daybreak  they  again  started  ; 
and,  after  two  hours'  walk,  had  to  track  across  a 
small  prairie,  which  gave  them  some  trouble,  but 
they  succeeded  in  finding  the  trail  on  their  arrival  at 
the  wood  on  the  opposite  side,  and  then  they  made  a 
very  rapid  progress,  for  the  twigs  were  now  more 
frequently  broken  and  bent  than  before.  During  this 
day,  with  the  bow  and  arrows  brought  by  the  Straw- 
berry, Martin  had  procured  them  two  wild  turkeys, 
which  were  very  acceptable,  as  their  provisions 
would  not  last  more  than  seven  or  eight  days  longer, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  say  how  far  they  would 
have  to  travel.  It  was  not  far  from  dark  when  the 
quick  ears  of  the  Strawberry  were  attracted  by  a 
noise  like  that  of  a  person  breathing  heavily.  She 
at  last  pointed  with  her  finger  to  a  bush  ;  they  ad- 
vanced cautiously,  and  on  the  other  side  of  it  they 
found  an  Indian  woman  lying  on  the  ground  bleeding 
profusely.  They  raised  her  up,  and  discovered  that 
it  was  the  Indian  whom  they  had  cured  of  the  sprain- 
ed ankle,  and  who,  they  presumed,  had  been  then 
discovered  breaking  the  twigs  that  they  might  follow 
the  trail,  for  on  examination,  they  found  that  she  had 
received  a  heavy  blow  on  the  head  with  a  tomahawk  ; 
but,  fortunately,  it  had  glanced  sidewise,  and  not 
entered  into  the  brain.  She  was  not  sensible,  how- 
ever, at  the  time  they  discovered  her,  for  she  had 
lost  a  great  deal  of  blood.  They  stopped  the  effu- 
sion of  blood  with  bandages  torn  from  their  linen, 
and  poured  some  water  down  her  throat ;  it  was  now 
dark,  and  it  was  not  possible  to  proceed  any  farther 
that  night.  The  Strawberry  went  into  the  woods 
and  collected  some  herbs,  with  which  she  dressed 
the  wound,  and,  having  made  the  poor  Indian  as 
comfortable  as  they  could,  they  again  lay  down  to 
rest  ;  out  not  until  Malachi  had  said  to  Alfred — 

"  There  is  no  doubt,  sir,  but  that  the  Indians  have 
discovered  this  woman  was  marking  the  trail  for  us 
and  that  they  have  tomahawked  her  for  so  doing, 
and  have  left  her  for  dead.     I  think  myself  that  the 


142  th£  settlers. 

wound,  although  it  is  a  very  ugly  one,  is  not  dan- 
gerous, and  so  says  the  Strawberry.  However,  to- 
morrow will  decide  the  point ;  if  she  is  not  sensible 
then,  it  will  be  of  no  use  waiting,  but  we  must  go 
on  as  fast  as  we  can." 

When  they  awoke  the  next  morning  they  found 
the  Strawberry  sitting  by  the  Indian  woman,  who 
was  now  quite  sensible  and  collected,  although  very 
weak  and  exhausted.  Malachi  and  Martin  went  to 
her,  and  had  a  long  conversation  with  her  at  inter- 
vals. Malachi  had  been  right  in  his  supposition; 
the  Angry  Snake  had  discovered  her  in  the  act  of 
bending  a  twig,  and  had  struck  her  down  with  his 
tomahawk.  They  gained  from  her  the  following  in- 
formation. The  Angry  Snake,  irritated  at  the  de- 
tention of  the  Young  Otter,  had  resolved  to  have 
another  hostage  in  lieu  of  him,  and  had  carried  off 
Mary  Percivai.  He  had  six  Indians  with  him,  which 
were  the  whole  of  his  grown-up  warriors.  They 
were  now  but  one  day's  journey  ahead  of  them,  as 
Miss  Percivai  was  very  sore  on  her  feet,  and  they 
could  not  get  her  along,  but  that  in  every  other  re- 
spect she  had  been  well  treated.  That  the  Indians 
were  not  going  to  their  lodges  in  a  direct  course,  but 
by  a  circuitous  route,  which  would  make  a  difference 
of  at  least  six  or  seven  days ;  and  that  they  did  this 
that  they  might  not  be  seen  by  some  other  tribes  who 
were  located  in  their  direct  route,  and  who  might 
give  information.  She  said  that  it  was  she  who  had 
written  the  Indian  letter  which  Malachi  had  received 
the  autumn  before,  and  that  she  had  done  it  because 
she  had  been  so  kindly  treated  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Campbell,  when  she  had  been  found  in  the  forest 
with  her  ankle  sprained.  That  Percivai  was  at  the 
Indian  lodges  quite  well  when  they  left,  and  that  if 
the  Angry  Snake  did  not  receive  a  large  quantity 
of  powder  and  shot  and  a  great  many  rifles  in  ex- 
change for  him,  it  was  his  intention  to  adopt  the 
boy,  as  he  was  very  partial  to  him.  On  being aaked 
if  the  boy  was  happy,  she  replied  th?t  he  was  not  at 


THE   SETTLERS.  143 

first,  but  now  he  was  almost  an  Indian ;  that  he  was 
seldom  permitted  to  leave  the  lodges,  and  never  un- 
less accompanied  by  the  Angry  Snake.  In  answer 
to  their  questions  as  to  the  direction  and  distance^) 
the  lodges,  she  said  that  they  were  about  seven  days' 
journey  by  the  straight  road  ;  but  that  the  party  with 
Miss  Percival  would  not  arrive  there  in  less  than 
fifteen  days,  if  so  soon,  as  she  was  every  day  less 
able  to  travel.  Having  obtained  all  this  information, 
a  council  was  held,  and  Malachi  spoke  first,  having 
been  requested  so  to  do. 

"  My  opinion  is  this,"  said  Malachi,  "  that  we  can 
do  no  better  than  to  remain  here  at  present,  and  wait 
till  the  woman  is  sufficiently  recovered  to  travel  and 
show  us  the  direct  road  to  the  lodges.  In  two  or 
three  days  she  will  probably  be  well  enough  to  go 
with  us,  and  then  we  will  take  the  direct  road,  and 
be  there  before  them.  The  knowledge  of  the  place 
and  the  paths  will  enable  us  to  lay  an  ambush  for 
them  and  to  rescue  the  young  lady  without  much 
danger  to  ourselves.  They  will  have  no  idea  of 
falling  in  with  us,  for  they  of  course  imagine  the 
woman  is  dead  ;  a  tomahawk  seldom  fails." 

After  a  long  parley,  the  advice  of  Malachi  was 
considered  the  most  judicious,  and  a  further  conver- 
sa  ion  with  the  Indian  woman  confirmed  them  in  the 
resolution.  As  they  had  no  fear  of  the  Indians  dis- 
covering that  they  were  on  their  trail,  Martin  and 
Alfred  went  out  in  pursuit  of  game  for  provisions, 
while  the  others  raised  up  a  large  hut  with  branches 
of  trees,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  whole  party. 
In  the  evening  Martin  and  Alfred  returned,  carrying 
a  fine  buck  between  them.  The  fire  was  lighted, 
and  very  soon  all  were  busy  cooking  and  eating!  The 
Indian  woman  also  begged' for  something  to  eat,  and 
ner  recovery  was  Downo  longer  considered  doubtful. 


144  THE   SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

It  was  a  great  annoyance  to  Captain  Sinclair  to 
have  to  wait  in  this  manner,  but  there  was  no  help 
for  il.  He  was  satisfied  that  it  was  ihe  most  pru- 
dent course,  and  therefore  raised  no  objection.  Al- 
fred too  was  uneasy  at  the  delay,  as  he  was  aware 
how  anxious  his  father  and  mother  would  be  during 
the  whole  time  of  their  absence.  They  were  glad, 
however,  to  find  that  the  Indian  woman  recovered 
rapidly,  and  on  the  fifth  day  of  their  taking  up  their 
abode  in  the  forest,  she  said  that  she  was  able  to 
travel  if  they  walked  slow.  It  was  therefore  agreed 
that  on  the  sixth  day  they  should  start  again,  and 
they  did  so,  having  saved  their  salt  provisions,  that 
they  might  not  be  compelled  to  stop,  or  use  their  ri- 
fles to  procure  food.  The  evening  before,  they  roast- 
ed as  much  venison  as  they  thought  they  could  con- 
sume while  it  was  good,  and  at  daylight  again  pro- 
ceeded, not  to  follow  the  trail,  but  guided  by  the  In- 
dian woman,  in  a  direct  course  for  the  lodges  of  the 
Indian  band  under  the  Angry  Snake. 

As  they  had  now  only  to  proceed  as  fast  as  they 
could  without  tiring  the  poor  Indian  woman,  whose 
head  was  bound  up,  and  who  was  still  weak  from 
loss  of  blood,  they  made  a  tolerable  day's  journey, 
and  halted  as  before.  Thus  they  continued  their 
route  till  the  sixlh  day,  when  as  they  drew  up  for 
the  night,  the  Indian  stated  that  they  were  only 
three  or  four  miles  from  the  Indians'  lodges  which 
they  sought.  Thereupon  a  council  was  held  as  to 
now  they  should  proceed,  and  at  last  it  was  agreed 
upon  that  they  should  be  guided  by  the  Indian 
woman  to  a  spot  Avhcre  they  might  be  concealed, 


THE    oETTLERS.  145 

as  near  as  possible  to  the  lodges,  and  that  when  the 
parly  had  arrived  there,  that  the  woman  and  Mala- 
chi  should  go  and  reconnoitre,  to  ascertain  whether 
the  chief  and  his  band  with  Mary  Percival  had  i  #t 
turned  or  not.  The  night  was  passed  very  impa- 
tiently, and  without  sleep  by  most  of  them,  so  anx- 
ious were  they  for  the  morrow.  Long  before  break 
of  day  they  again  started,  advancing  with  great  cau- 
tion, and  were  led  by  the  Indian  till  they  were 
within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  lodges,  in 
a  thick  cluster  of  young  spruce,  which  completely 
secured  them  from  discovery.  Shortly  afierward 
Malachi  and  the  Indian  woman,  creeping  on  all 
fours,  disappeared  in  the  surrounding  brushwood, 
that  they  might,  if  possible,  gain  more  intelligence 
from  listening.  In  the  meantime,  the  party  had 
their  eyes  on  the  lodges,  waiting  to  see  who  should 
come  out  as  soon  as  the  sun  rose,  for  it  was  hardly 
clear  daybreak  when  they  arrived  at  their  place  of" 
concealment. 

They  had  remained  there  about  half  an  hour, 
when  they  perceived  an  Indian  lad  come  out  of  one 
of  the  lodges.  He  was  dressed  in  leggings  and  In- 
dian shirt  of  deer  skin,  and  carried  in  his  hand  his 
bow  and  arrows.  An  eagle's  feather  was  stuck  in 
his  hair  above  the  left  ear,  which  marked  him  as 
the  son  of  a  chief. 

"  That's  my  brother  Percival,"  said  John,  in  a  low 
tone. 

"Percival !"  replied  Alfred  ;  "is  it  possible?" 

"  Yes,''  whispered  the  Strawberry,  "  it  is  Percival, 
but  don't  speak  so  loud." 

"Well,  they  have  turned  him  into  a  regular  In- 
dian," said  Alfred  ;  "we  shall  have  to  make  a  pale- 
face of  him  again." 

Percival,  for  him  it  was,  looked  round  for  some 
time,  and  at  last  perceiving  a  crow  flying  over  his 
head,  he  drew  his  bow,  and  the  arrow  brought  the 
bird  down  at  his  feet. 

"  A  capital  shot,"  said  Captain  Sinclair,  "  the  boy 

Vol.  JL— 13 


146  THE    SETTLERS. 

has  learned  something  at  all  events.    You  could  nol 
do  that,  John." 

"  No,"  replied  John,  "  but  they  don't  trust  him 
•ith  a  rifle." 

They  waited  some  little  time  longer,  when  an  In- 
dian woman,  and  then  an  old  man,  came  out,  and  in  . 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterward,  three  more 
women  and  an  Indian  about  twenty  years  old. 

"  I  think  we  have  the  whole  force  now,"  said 
Martin. 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,  too,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair  ; 
"  I  wish  Malachi  would  come  back,  for  I  do  not 
think  he  will  find  out  more  than  we  know  our- 
selves." 

In  about  half  an  hour  afterward,  Malachi  and  the 
Indian  woman  returned  ;  they  had  crept  in  the 
brushwood  10  within  fifty  yards  of  the  lodges,  but 
were  afraid  to  go  nearer,  as  the  woman  said  that 
perhaps  the  dogs  might  give  the  alarm  ;  for  two  of 
them  were  left  at  home.  The  woman  stated  her 
conviction  that  the  party  had  not  come  back,  and 
now  a  council  was  again  held  as  to  their  proceed- 
ings. The  Indian  force  was  nothing— an  old  man, 
one  lad  of  twenty,  and  four  women.  These  might 
be  easily  captured  and  secured,  but  the  question  was 
whether  it  would  be  desirable  so  to  do,  as  in  case 
one  should  by  any  means  escape,  informatio'n  of 
their  arrival  might  be  conveyed  to  the  absent  party, 
and  induce  them  not  to  come  home  with  Mary  Per- 
cival.  This  question  was  debated  in  a  low  tone  be- 
tween Malachi,  Captain  Sinclair,  and  Alfred.  At 
last  John  interrupted  them  by  saying,  "They  are 
going  ouf  to  hunt,  the  old  and  the  young  Indian  and 
Percival — they  have  all  their  bows  and  arrows." 

"  The  boy  is  right,"  said  Malachi.  "  Well,  I  con- 
sider this  to  decide  the  question.  "We  can  now  cap- 
ture the  men  without  the  women  knowing  anything 
about  it.  They  will  not  expect  them  home  till  the 
evening,  and  even  if  they  do  not  come,  they  will  not 
be  surprised  or  alarmed;  so  now  we  had  better  let 


THE    SETTLERS.  147 

them  go  some  way.  and  then  follow  them.  If  we 
secure  them,  we  cau.  then  decide  what  to  do  about 
the  women." 

This  was  agreed  upon,  and  Malachi  explained 
their  intentions  to  the  Indian  woman,  who  approved 
of  them,  but  said,  "  The  Old  Raven"  (referring  to  the 
old  Indian)  "is  very  cunning;  you  must  be  careful." 

The  parly  remained  in  their  place  of  concealment 
for  another  quarter  of  an  hour,  till  the  two  Indians 
and  Percival  had  quitted  the  open  space  before  the 
lodges,  and  had  entered  the  woods.  They  then  fol- 
lowed in  a  parallel  direction,  Malachi  and  John  go- 
ing ahead :  Martin  and  Alfred  following  so  as  to 
keep  them  in  sight,  and  the  remainder  of  the  party 
at  about  the  same  distance  behind  Martin  and  Al- 
fred. They  continued  in  this  manner  their  course 
through  the  woods  for  more  than  an  hour,  when  a 
herd  of  deer  darted  past  Malachi  and  John.  They 
■mmediately  stopped,  and  crouched,  to  hide  them- 
selves. Martin  and  Allied  perceiving  this,  followed 
their  example,  and  the  rest  of  the  party  behind,  at 
the  motion  of  the  Strawberry,  did  the  same.  Hardly 
had  they  done  so,  when  one  of  the  herd,  which  had 
been  pierced  by  an  arrow,  followed  in  the  direction 
of  the  rest,  and  after  a  few  bounds  fell  to  the  earth. 
A  minute  or  two  afterward  the  hunters  made 
their  appearance,  and  stood  by  the  expiring  beast, 
where  they  remained  a  minute  or  two  talking,  and 
then  took  out  their  knives  to  flay  and  cut  it  up. 
While  they  were  thus  employed,  Malachi  and  John 
on  one  side,  Alfred  and  Martin  from  another  direc- 
tion, and  the  rest  of  the  party  from  a  third,  were 
creeping  slowly  up  toward  them  ;  but  to  surround 
them  completely  it  was  necessary  that  the  main  party 
should  divide,  and  send  one  or  two  more  to  the  east- 
ward. Captain  Sinclair  despatched  Graves  and  one 
of  the  soldiers,  desiring"  them  to  creep  very  softly  till 
they  arrived  at  a  spot  he  pointed  out,  and  then  to 
wait  for  the  signal  to  be  given. 

As  the  parties  gradually  approached  nearer  and 


148  THE   SETTLERS. 

nearer  to  the  Indians  and  Percival,  the  Old  Raven 
appeared  to  be  uneasy ;  he  looked  round  and  round 
him,  and  once  or  twice  laid  his  ear  to  the  ground ; 
whenever  he  did  this,  they  all  stopped,  and  almost 
held  their  breaths. 

"  The  Indian  woman  says  that  the  Old  E.aven  is 
suspicious  ;  he  is  sure  that  some  one  is  in  the  woods 
near  him,  and  she  thinks  that  she  had  better  go  to 
him,"  said  the  Strawberry  to  Captain  Sinclair. 

"Let  her  go,"  said  Captain  Sinclair. 

The  Indian  rose,  and  walked  up  in  the  direction 
of  the  Indians,  who  immediately  turned  to  her  as 
she  approached.  She  spoke  to  them,  and  appeared  to 
be  telling  them  how  it  was  that  she  returned.  At  all 
events,  she  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Old  Raven 
till  the  parties  were  close  to  them,  when  Malachi 
arose,  and  immediately  all  the  others  did  the  same, 
and  rushed  upon  them.  After  a  short  and  useless 
struggle,  they  were  secured,  but  not  before  the 
younger  Indian  had  wounded  one  of  the  soldiers,  by 
stabbing  him  with  his  knife.  The  thongs  were  al- 
ready fast  round  the  arms  and  legs  of  the  Indians, 
when  Percival,  who  had  not  been  tied,  again  at- 
tempted to  escape,  and,  by  direction  of  Malachi,  he 
was  bound  as  well  as  the  other  two. 

As  soon  as  the  prisoners  were  secured,  Martin  and 
Graves  and  the  soldiers  employed  themselves  in  cut- 
ting up  the  venison  and  preparing  it  for  dinner, 
while  the  Strawberry  and  the  Indian  woman  were 
collecting  wood  for  a  fire.  In  the  meanwhile,  Cap- 
tain Sinclair,  Alfred,  Malachi,  and  John,  were  seated 
by  the  prisoners,  and  directing  their  attention  to 
Percival,  whom  they  had  been  compelled  to  bind, 
that  he  might  not  make  his  escape;  for  his  sojourn 
of  nearly  two  years  in  the  woods  with  the  Indians, 
without  seeing  the  face  of  a  white  man,  had  (as  has 
been  invariably  proved  to  be  the  fact  in  every  in- 
stance where  the  parties  were  very  young)  wholly 
obliterated,  for  the  time,  his  recollections  of  his  for- 
mer life— so  rapid  is  our  falling  off  to  the  savage 


THE   SETTLERS.  149 

6tate.  To  the  questions  of  Alfred  he  returned  no  re- 
ply, and  appeared  not  to  understand  him. 

"Let  me  try  him,  sir,"  said  Malachi  ;  "I  will 
speak  to  him  in  the  Indian  tongue,  he  has  perhaps 
forgotten  his  own.  It's  wonderful  how  soon  we  re- 
turn to  a  state  of  nature  when  we  are  once  in  the 
woods." 

Malachi  then  spoke  to  Percival  in  the  Indian  lan- 
guage ;  Percival  listened  for  some  time,  and  at  last 
replied  in  the  same  tongue. 

"What  does  he  say,  Malachi?"  said  Alfred. 

"  He  says  he  will  sing  his  own  death-song  ;  that 
he  is  the  son  of  a  warrior,  and  he  will  die  like  a 
brave." 

"Why,  the  boy  is  metamorphosed,"  said  Captain 
Sinclair  ;  "  is  it  possible  that  so  short  a  time  could 
have  produced  this?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Malachi ;  "in  young  people  a 
very  short  time  will  change  them  thus,  but  it  won't 
last  long.  If  he  were  to  meet  again  with  his  mother 
at  the  settlement,  he  would  by  degrees  forget  his 
Indian  life  and  become  reconciled  ;  a  woman  has 
more  effect  than  a  man.  Let  the  Strawberry  speak 
to  him.  You  see,  sir,  he  is  bound,  and  considers 
himself  a  captive,  and  let  him  loose  we  must  not, 
until  we  have  done  our  work  ;  after  that,  there  will 
be  no  fear,  and  when  he  has  been  with  us  a  short 
time,  he  will  come  all  right  again." 

Malachi  called  the  Strawberry,  and  told  her  to 
speak  to  Percival  about  his  home  and  his  mother, 
and  everything  connected  with  the  farm. 

The  Strawberry  sal  down  by  Percival,  and  in  her 
soft  tones  talked  to  him  in  her  own  tongue  of  his 
father  and  mother,  of  his  cousins,  and  how  he  had 
been  taken  by  the  Indians  when  he  was  hunting, 
how  his  mother  had  wept  for  him,  and  all  had  la- 
mented his  loss ;  running  on  in  a  low  musical  key 
from  one  thing  to  another  connected  and  associated 
with  his  former  life  in  the  settlement,  and  it  was 

13* 


150  THE  SETTLERS. 

evident  that  at  last  he  now  listened  with  attention. 
The  Strawberry  continued  to  talk  to  him  thus,  foi 
more  than  an  hour,  when  Alfred  again  addressed  him 
and  said,  "Percival,  don't  you  know  me?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Percival  in  English,  "  I  do  ;  you 
are  my  brother  Alfred." 

"All's  right  now,  sir,"  said  Malachi ;  "only  he 
must  be  kept  fast ;  but  the  lad's  coming  to  his  senses 
again.  The  Strawberry  will  talk  to  him  again  by- 
and-by." 

They  then  sat  down  to  their  meal ;  the  two  In- 
dians were  removed  to  a  distance  under  the  guard 
of  one  of  the  soldiers,  but  Percival  remained  with 
them.  John  sat  by  Percival,  and  cutting  off  a  tempt- 
ing bit  of  venison,  held  it  to  his  mouth,  saying  to 
him,  "Percival,  when  we  go  home  again,  your 
hands  shall  be  untied,  and  you  shall  have  a  rifle  of 
your  own  instead  of  a  bow  and  arrows ;  come,  eat 
this." 

This  was  a  long  speech  for  John,  but  it  produced 
its  effect,  for  Percival  opened  his  mouth  for  the  veni- 
son, and  being  fed  by  John,  made  a  very  good  din- 
ner. As  soon  as  their  meal  was  over,  they  consulted 
as  to  what  steps  should  next  be  taken.  The  ques- 
tion discussed  was  whether  they  should  now  capture 
the  women  who  were  left  in  the  lodges,  or  remain 
quiet  till  the  Angry  Snake  and  his  party  arrived  ? 

"  Malachi 's  opinion  was  as  follows  ? 

"  I  think  we  had  at  all  events  better  wait  till  to- 
morrow, sir;  you  see,  the  women  will  not  be  at  all 
surprised  at  the  hunting  party  not  returning  for  even 
a  day  or  two,  as  they  know  that  they  will  not  return 
without  game,  and  may  not  find  it  immediately  ; 
their  absence,  therefore,  will  create  no  suspicion  of 
our  being  here.  I  think  we  should  return  to  our 
former  place  of  concealment,  and  watch  their  mo- 
tions. There  is  no  saying  when  the  party  with 
Miss  Percival  may  return,  they  may  have  arrived 
while  we  have  been  away,  or  they  may  come  to- 
morrow.    It  will  be  better,  therefore,  not  to  encum- 


THE   SETTLERS.  151 

ber  ourselves  with  more  prisoners  unless  it  is  neces- 
sary." 

This  opinion  was  at  last  assented  to,  and  they  set 
off,  on  their  return  to  the  Indian  lodges.  They  ar- 
rived about  an  hour  before  dusk  at  their  hiding-place, 
having  taken  the  precaution  to  gag  the  two  Indians 
for  fear  of  their  giving  a  whoop  as  notice  of  their 
capture.  Percival  was  very  quiet,  and  had  begun 
to  talk  a  little  with  John. 

Scarcely  had  they  been  five  minutes  again  con- 
cealed among  the  spruce  fir-trees,  when  they  heard 
a  distant  whoop  from  the  woods  on  the  other  side 
of  the  lodges. 

"  They  are  now  coming  on,"  said  Martin  ;  "  that 
is  their  signal." 

One  of  the  Indian  women  from  the  lodges  returned 

the  whoop. 

"Yes,  sir,  they  are  coming,"  said  Malachi.  "Pray, 
Captain  Sinclair,  be  quiet  and  sit  down  ;  you  will 
ruin  all  our  plans." 

"  Down,  Sinclair,  I  beg,"  said  Alfred. 

Captain  Sinclair,  who  was  very  much  excited, 
nevertheless  did  as  he  was  requested. 

"  Oh,  Alfred  !"  said  he  ;  "  she's  so  near." 

"  Yes,  my  good  fellow,  but  if  you  wish  her  near- 
er, you  must  be  prudent." 

"True,  very  true,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair 

In  about  half  an  hour  more,  the  Angry  Snake  and 
his  party  were  seen  to  emerge  from  the  woods,  and 
it  was  perceived  that  four  of  the  Indians  carried  a 
litter  made  of  branches  between  them. 

"  She  could  walk  no  farther,  sir,"  said  Malachi  to 
Captain  Sinclair ;  "  so  they  are  carrying  her  ;  I  told 
you  that  they  would  not  hurt  her." 

"  Let  me  once  see  her  get  out  of  the  litter,  and  I 
shall  be  satisfied,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair. 

The  Indians  soon  were  over  the  clearing,  and 
stopped  at  one  of  the  lodges  :  Mary  Percival  was 
lifted  out,  and  was  seen  to  walk  with  difficulty  into 
the  wigwam,  followed  by  two  of  the  Indian  women 


152  THE   SETTLERS. 

A  short  parley  took  place  between  the  Angry 
Snake  and  the  other  two  women,  and  the  chief  and 
rest  of  the  party  then  went  into  another  lodge. 

"  All's  right  so  far,  sir,"  observed  Malachi ;  "  they 
have  left  her  to  the  charge  of  the  two  women  in  a 
lodge  by  herself,  and  so  there  will  be  no  fear  for  her 
when  we  make  the  attack,  which  I  think  we  must 
do  very  shortly,  for  if  it  is  quite  dark,  some  of  them 
may  escape,  and  may  trouble  us  afterward." 

"  Let  us  do  it  immediately,"  said  Captain  Sinclair. 

"  No,  not  immediately,  sir  ;  we  have  yet  an  hour 
and  a  half  daylight.  We  will  wait  one  hour,  for  I 
think  that  as  they  have  nothing  to  eat,  and  are  pret- 
ty well  tired  from  carrying  Miss  Percival,  they  will, 
in  all  probability,  go  to  sleep,  as  Indians  always  do. 
An  hour  hence  will  be  the  best  time  for  us  to  fall 
upon  ihem." 

"  You  are  right,  Malachi,"  replied  Alfred.  "  Sin- 
clair, you  must  curb  your  impatience." 

"  I  must,  I  believe,"  replied  Captain  Sinclair ; 
"  but  it  will  be  a  tedious  hour  for  me.  Let  us  pass 
it  away  in  making  our  arrangements  ;  we  have  but 
six  to  deal  with." 

"  And  only  two  rifles,"  replied  Alfred  ;  "  so  we  are 
pretty  sure  of  success." 

"  We  must  watch  first,"  said  Martin,  "  to  see  if 
they  all  continue  in  the  same  lodge,  for  if  they  di- 
vide, we  must  arrange  accordingly.  Who  will  re- 
main with  the  prisoners  ?" 

"I  won't,"  said  John,  in  a  positive  manner. 

"You  must,  John,  if  it  is  decided  that  you  do," 
said  Alfred. 

"Better  not,  sir,"  replied  Malachi;  "for  as  soon 
as  the  boy  hears  the  crack  of  the  rifles,  he  will  leave 
his  prisoners,  and  join  us  ;  that  I'm  sure  of.  No,  sir, 
the  Strawherry  can  be  left  with  the  prisoners.  I'll 
give  her  my  hunting-knife  ;  that  will  be  sufficient." 

They  remained  for  about  half  an  hour  more  watch- 
ing the  lodges,  but  everything  appeared  quiet, and  not 
person  came  out.     Having  examined  the 


THE   SETTLERS. 


153 


priming  of  the  rifles,  every  man  was  directed  to  take 
up  a  certain  position,  so  as  to  surround  the  buildings 
and  support  each  other.  John  was  appointed  to  the 
office  of  looking  after  his  cousin  Mary,  and  prevent- 
ing the  women  from  escaping  with  her  from  the 
lodge  in  which  she  was  confined ;  and  John  took 
this5  office  willingly,  as  he  considered  it  one  of  im- 
portance, although  it  had  been  given  him  more  with 
a  view  that  he  might  not  be  exposed  to  danger. 
Leaving  the  prisoners  to  the  charge  of  the  Strawber- 
ry, who  with  her  knife  drawn,  stood  over  them, 
ready  to  act  upon  the  slightest  attempt  of  escape  on 
their  part,  the  whole  party  now  crept  safely  toward 
the  lodges,  by  the  same  path  as  had  been  taken  by 
Malachi  and  the  Indian  woman.  As  soon  as  they  had 
all  arrived,  they  waited  for  a  few  minutes,  while 
Malachi  reconnoitred,  and  when  they  perceived  that 
he  did  so,  they  all  rose  up  and  hastened  to  their 
allotted  stations  round  the  lodge  into  which  the  An- 
gry Snake  and  his  followers  had  entered.  The  In- 
dians appeared  to  be  asleep,  for  everything  remained 

quiet.  . 

"  Let  us  first  lead  Miss  Percival  away  to  a  place 
of  safety,"  whispered  Captain  Sinclair. 

"Do  you  do  it  then,"  said  Alfred;  "there  are 
plenty  of  us  without  you." 

Captain  Sinclair  hastened  to  the  lodge  in  which 
Miss  Percival  had  been  placed,  and  opened  the  door. 
Mary  Percival,  as  soon  as  she  beheld  Captain  Sin- 
clair, uttered  a  loud  scream  of  delight,  and,  rising 
from  the  skins  on  which  she  had  been  laid,  fell  upon 
his  neck.  Captain  Sinclair  caught  her  in  his  arms, 
and  was  bearing  her  out  of  the  lodge,  when  an  In- 
dian woman  caught  him  by  the  coat ;  but  John,  who 
had  entered,  putting  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  into  their 
faces,  they  let  go  and  retreated,  and  Captain  Sinclair 
bore  away  Mary  in  his  arms  inlo  the  brushwood, 
where  the  Strawberry  was  standing  over  the  Indian 
prisoners.  The  scream  of  Mary  Percival  had  roused 
the  Indians,  who,  after  their  exhaustion  and  pnva- 


154  THE   SETTLERS. 

tions,  were  in  a  sound  sleep  ;  but  still  no  movement 
was  to  be  heard  in  the  lodge,  and  a  debate,  between 
Malachi  and  Alfred,  whether  they  should  enter  the 
lodge  or  not,  was  put  an  end  to  by  a  rifle  being  fired 
from  the  lodge,  and  the  fall  of  one  of  the  soldiers, 
who  was  next  to  Alfred.  Another  shot  followed, 
and  Martin  received  a  bullet  in  his  shoulder,  and 
then  out  bounded  the  Angry  Snake,  followed  by  his 
band,  the  chief  whirling  his  tomahawk,  and  spring- 
ing upon  Malachi,  while  the  others  attacked  Alfred 
and  Martin,  who  were  nearest  to  the  door  of  the  lodge. 
The  rifle  of  Malachi  met  the  breast  of  the  Angry 
Snake  as  he  advanced,  and  the  contents  were  dis- 
charged through  his  body.  The  other  Indians  fought 
desperately,  but  the  whole  of  the  attacking  party 
closing  in,  they  were  overpowered.  Only  two  of 
them,  however,  were  taken  alive,  and  these  were 
seriously  wounded.  They  were  tied  and  laid  on  the 
ground. 

"  He  was  a  bad  man,  sir,"  said  Malachi,  who  was 
standing  over  the  body  of  the  Indian  chief;  "  but  he 
will  do  no  more  mischief." 

"Are  you  much  hurt,  Martin?"  inquired  Alfred. 

"No,  sir,  not  much;  the  ball  has  passed  right 
through  and  touched  no  bone  ;  so  I  am  in  luck.  I'll 
go  to  the  Strawberry,  and  get  her  to  bind  it  up." 

"He  is  quite  dead,  sir,"  said  Graves,  who  was 
kneeling  by  the  side  of  the  s'oldier  who  had  been  shot 
by  the  first  rifle. 

"  Poor  fellow  !"  exclaimed  Alfred.  "  Well,  I'm 
not  sorry  that  they  commenced  the  attack  upon  us; 
for  I  do  not  know  whether  I  could  have  used  my  rifle 
unless  they  had  done  so." 

"They  never  expected  quarter,  sir," said  Malachi. 

"  I  suppose  not.  Now,  what  are  we  to  do  with 
the  women  ?     They  can  do  no  harm." 

"Not  much,  sir ;  but,  at  all  events,  we  must  put  it 
out  of  their  power.  We  must  take  possession  of  all 
the  weapons  we  can  find  in  the  lodges.  We  have  their 
two  rifles ;  but  we  must  collect  all  the  bows  aud  ar- 


THE    SETTLERS.  153 

rows,  tomahawks  and  knives,  and  either  destroy  or 
keep  possession  of  them.  John,  will  you  look  to 
that?     Take  Graves  with  you." 

"  Yes,"  replied  John,  who,  with  Graves,  immedi- 
ately commenced  his  search  of  the  lodges. 

The  two  women,  who  had  been  in  the  lodge  with 
Mary  Percival,  had  remained  where  they  were,  as 
John's  rifle  had  kept  them  from  leaving  the  lodge  ; 
bu'  .he  other  two  had  escaped  into  the  woods  during 
the  aflray.  This  was  of  little  consequence  ;  indeed 
the  others  were  told  that  they  might  go  away,  if 
they  would ;  and,  as  soon  as  they  heard  this  from 
Malachi,  they  followed  the  example  of  their  compan- 
ions. John  and  Graves  brought  out  all  the  arms 
they  could  find,  and  Malachi  and  Alfred  then  went 
to  the  bushes  to  which  Mary  Percival  and  Sinclair 
had  previously  retired.  Alfred  embraced  his  cousin, 
who  was  still  too  greatly  agitated  to  say  much,  being 
almost  overpowered  by  the  sudden  transition  in  all 
her  thoughts  and  feelings: — and,  in  the  variety  of 
her  emotions,  perhaps  the  most  bewildering  was  that 
occasioned  by  the  reappearance  of  Percival — like  a 
restoration  from  the  dead.  Alfred  was  in  consulta- 
tion with  Malachi,  when  he  perceived  the  flames 
bursting  out  of  the  lodges.  Martin,  as  soon  as  his 
wound  was  dressed,  had  returned  and  set  fire  to 
them. 

"  It's  all  right,  sir,"  said  Malachi ;  "  it  will  leave 
the  proof  of  our  victory,  and  be  a  caution  to  other 
Indians." 

"  But,  what  will  become  of  the  women  ?" 

"  They  will  join  some  other  band,  sir,  and  tell  the 
story.     It  is  better  that  they  should." 

"  And  our  prisoners,  what  shall  we  do  with  them  ?' 

"  Release  them  ;  by-and-by,  sir,  we  shall  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  them  ;  but  we  will  first  take 
them  two  or  three  days'  march  into  the  woods,  in 
case  they  have  alliance  with  any  other  band  whom 
they  might  call  to  their  assistance.'* 

"  And  the  wounded  Indians  ?J' 


156  THE  SETTLERS. 

"  Must  be  left  to  Providence,  sir.  We  can  not  take 
them.  We  will  leave  them  provisions  and  water. 
The  women  will  come  back  and  find  them  ;  if  they 
are  alive,  they  will  look  after  them  ;  if  dead,  bury 
them.  But  here  comes  John,  with  some  bears'-skins, 
which  he  has  saved  for  Miss  Mary  ;  that  was  thought- 
ful of  the  boy.  As  soon  as  the  flames  are  down,  we 
will  take  up  our  quarters  in  the  clearing,  and  set  a 
watch  for  the  night ;  and  to-morrow,  with  the  help 
of  God,  we  will  commence  our  journey  back.  We 
shall  bring  joy  to  your  father  and  mother,  and  the 
sooner  we  do  it  the  better;  for  they  must  be  any- 
thing but  comfortable  at  our  long  absence." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mary  Percival ;  "  what  a  state  of 
suspense  they  must  be  in !  '  Truly,'  as  the  Bible 
saith,  'Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick.'  " 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Not  one  of  the  party  slept  much  on  this  night. 
There  was  much  to  do,  and  much  to  be  looked  after. 
Captain  Sinclair,  as  it  may  be  supposed,  was  fully 
occupied  with  Mary  Percival,  of  whom  more  anon. 
As  soon  as  they  had  taken  up  their  position  in  the 
clearing,  and  made  arrangements  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  Mary,  they  relieved  the  Strawberry  from 
her  charge  of  the  prisoners,  whom  they  brought  to 
the  clearing,  and  made  to  sit  down  close  to  them. 
Percival,  who  had  not  yet  been  freed  from  his  bonds, 
was  now  untied,  and  suffered  to  walk  about,  one  of 
the  men  keeping  close  to  him,  and  watching  him 
carefully.     The  first  object  which  caught  his  eye, 
was  the  body  of  the  Angry  Snake.     Percival  looked 
on  it  for  some  time,  and  then  sat  down  by  the  s;.de  of 
it.     There  he  remained  for  more  than  two  hours, 
without  speaking,  when  a  hole  having  been  dug  out 
by  one  of  the  party,  the  body  was  put  in  and  covered 
up.    Percival  remained  a  few  minutes  by  the  side  of 


THE    SETTLERS.  157 

the  grave,  and  then  turned  to  the  two  wounded  In- 
dians. He  brought  them  water,  and  spoke  to  them 
in  the  Indian  tongue;  but  while  be  was  still  with 
them,  Mary  sent  for  him  to  speak  with  him,  for  as 
yet  she  had  scarcely  seen  him.  The  sight  of  Mary 
appeared  to  have  a  powerful  effect  upon  the  boy ; 
he  listened  to  her  as  she  soothed  and  caressed  him, 
and  appearing  to  be  overcome  with  a  variety  of  sen- 
sations, he  laid  down,  moaned,  and  at  last  fell  fast 
asleep. 

The  soldier  who  had  been  shot  by  the  Angry 
Snake,  was  buried  before  they  buried  the  chief. 
Martin's  wound  had  been  dressed  by  his  wife,  the 
Strawberry,  who  was  very  skilful  in  Indian  surgery. 
She  had  previously  applied  cataplasms  made  from 
the  bruised  leaves  which  she  and  the  Indian  woman 
had  sought  for,  to  the  feet  of  Mary  Percival,  which 
were  in  a  state  of  great  inflammation,  and  Mary  had 
found  herself  already  much  relieved  by  the  applica- 
tion. Before  the  day  dawned,  the  two  Indians  who 
had  been  wounded,  were  dead,  and  were  immedi- 
ately buried  by  the  side  of  the  chief. 

Alfred  and  Malachi  had  resolved  to  set  off  the  next 
morning  on  their  return  home,  if  they  found  it  pos- 
sible to  convey  Mary  Percival ;  but  their  party  was 
now  reduced,  as  one  of  the  soldiers  had  been  killed, 
and  Martin  was  incapable  of  service.  The  Indian 
woman  would  also  be  fully  loaded  with  the  extra 
rifles,  the  two  which  they  had  captured  from  the  In- 
dians, the  one  belonging  to  the  soldier,  and  Martin's, 
who  could  not  carry  anything  in  his  present  state. 

They  were  now  only  six  effective  men,  as  John 
could  not  be  of  much  use  in  carrying,  and,  moreover, 
was  appointed  to  watch  Percival.  Then  they  had 
the  two  prisoners  to  take  charge  of,  so  that  they 
were  somewhat  embarrassed.  Malachi,  however, 
proposed  that  they  should  make  a  litter  of  boughs, 
welded  together  very  tight,  and  suspended  on  a  pole, 
bo  as  to  D(  carried  between  two  men.     Mary  Perci 

Vol  II.— 14 


158  THE   SETTLERS. 

val  was  not  a  very  great  weight,  and  by  relieving 
each  other  continually,  they  would  be  able  to  get 
some  miles  every  day,  till  Mary  was  well  enough  to 
walk  with  them.  Alfred  assented  to  this,  and  as 
soon  as  it  was  daylight  went  into  the  woods  with 
Malachi,  to  assist  him  in  cutting  the  boughs.  On 
their  return,  they  found  that  all  the  rest  of  the  party 
were  up,  and  that  Mary  felt  little  or  no  pain.  They 
made  their  breakfast  on  their  salt  provisions,  which 
were  now  nearly  expended,  and  as  soon  as  their 
meal  was  over,  they  put  Mary  upon  the  litter  and 
set  off,  taking  the  Indian  prisoners  with  them,  as 
they  thought  it  not  yet  advisable  to  give  them  their 
liberty.  The  first  day  they  made  but  a  few  miles, 
as  they  were  obliged  to  stop,  that  they  might  procure 
some  food.  The  party  were  left  under  a  large  tree, 
which  was  a  good  land-mark,  under  the  charge  of 
Captain  Sinclair,  while  Malachi  and  Alfred  went  in 
search  of  game.  At  nightfall  they  returned  with  a 
deer  which  they  had  killed,  when  the  Strawberry 
informed  them  that  the  Indian  woman  had  told  her, 
that  about  two  miles  to  ihe  southward  there  was  a 
river  which  ran  into  the  lake,  and  that  there  were 
two  canoes  belonging  to  the  band,  hauled  up  in  the 
bushes  on  the  beach  ;  that  the  river  was  broad  and 
swift,  and  would  soon  take  them  to  the  lake,  by  the 
shores  of  which  they  could  paddle  the  canoe  to  the 
settlement.  This  appeared  worthy  of  consideration, 
as  it  would  in  the  end,  perhaps,  save  lime,  and  at 
all  events  illow  Mary  Percival  to  recover.  They  de- 
cided that  they  would  go  to  the  river,  and  take  the 
canoes,  as  the  Indian  woman  said  that  they  were 
large  enough  to  hold  them  all. 

The  next  morning,  guided  by  the  Indian  woman, 
they  set  off  in  the  direction  of  the  river,  and  arrived 
at  it  in  the  afternoon.  They  found  the  canoes, 
which  were  large,  and  in  good  order,  and  having 
carried  them  down  to  the  beach,  they  resolved  to 
put  off  their  embarkation  till  the  following  day,  as 
they  were  again  in  want  of  provisions  for  their  sub- 


THE   SETTLERS.  159 

sistence.  Alfred,  Malachi,  and  John,  went  out  this 
time,  for  Percival  had  shown  himself  so  quiet  and 
contented,  and  had  gradually  become  so  fond  of  be- 
ing near  Mary  Percival,  that  he  appeared  to  have 
awakened  from  his  Indian  dream,  and  renewed  all 
his  former  associations.  They  did  not,  therefore, 
think  it  necessary  to  watch  him  any  more — indeed, 
he  never  would  leave  Mary's  side,  and  began  now  to 
ask  many  questions,  which  proved  that  he  had  re- 
called to  mind  much  of  what  had  been  forgotten 
during  his  long  sojourn  with  the  Indians.  The  hun- 
ters returned,  having  been  very  successful,  and  load- 
ed with  meat  enough  to  last  for  four  or  five  days. 
At  daylight  the  next  morning,  they  led  the  prisoners 
about  half  a  mile  into  the  woods,  and  pointing  to 
the  north,  as  to  the  direction  they  were  to  go,  cast 
loose  the  deer  thongs  which  confined  them,  and  set 
them  at  liberty.  Having  done  this,  they  embarked 
in  the  canoes,  and  were  soon  gliding  rapidly  down 
the  stream. 

The  river  upon  which  they  embarked,  at  that  time 
little  known  to  the  Europeans,  is  now  called  the  riv- 
er Thames,  and  the  town  built  upon  it  is  named 
London.  It  falls  into  the  upper  part  of  Lake  Erie, 
and  is  a  fine  rapid  stream.  For  three  days  they  pad- 
dled their  canoes,  disembarking  at  night  to  sleep  and 
cook  theii  provisions,  and  on  the  fourth  they  were 
compelled  to  stop,  that  they  might  procure  more 
food.  They  were  successful,  and  on  the  next  day 
they  entered  the  lake,  about  two  hundred  miles  to 
the  west  of  the  settlement.  Mary  Percival  was  now 
quite  recovered,  and  found  her  journey  or  voyage 
delightful  :  the  country  was  in  full  beauty  ;  the  trees 
waved  their  boughs  down  to  the  river  side,  and  they 
did  not  fall  in  with  any  Indians,  or  perceive  any 
lodges  on  the  bank.  Sometimes  they  started  the 
deer  which  had  come  down  to  drink  in  the  stream, 
and  on  one  occasion,  as  they  rounded  a  point,  they  fell 
in  with  a  herd  which  were  in  the  water  swimming 
across,  and  in  this  position  they  destroyed  as  many 


160  THE   SETTLERS. 

as  they  required  for  their  food  till  they  hoped  to  ar- 
rive at  the  settlement. 

Percival  was  now  quite  reconciled  to  his  removal 
from  an  Indian  life,  and  appeared  most  anxious  to 
rejoin  his  father  and  mother,  of  whom  he  talked  in- 
cessantly ;  for  he  had  again  recovered  his  English, 
which,  strange  to  say,  although  he  perfectly  under- 
stood it  when  spoken  to,  he  had  almost  forgotten  to 
pronounce,  and  at  first  spoke  with  difficulty.  The 
weather  was  remarkably  fine,  and  the  waters  of  the 
lake  were  so  smooth,  that  they  made  rapid  progress, 
although  they  invariably  disembarked  at  night.  The 
only  annoyance  they  had  was  from  the  moschetoes, 
which  rose  in  clouds  as  soon  as  they  landed,  and 
were  not  to  be  dispersed  until  they  had  lighted  a 
very  large  fire,  accompanied  with  thick  smoke :  but 
this  was  a  trifle  compared  with  their  joy  at  the 
happy  deliverance  of  the  prisoners,  and  success 
of  their  expedition.  Most  grateful,  indeed,  were 
they  to  God  for  his  mercies,  and  none  more  so  than 
Mary  Percival  and  Captain  Sinclair,  who  never  left 
her  side  till  it  was  lime  to  retire  to  rest. 

On  the  sixth  day,  in  the  forenoon,  they  were  de- 
lighted to  perceive  Fort  Frontignac  in  the  distance, 
and  although  the  house  at  the  settlement  was  hid 
from  their  sight  by  the  point  covered  with  wood 
which  intervened,  they  knew  that  they  were  not 
above  four  or  five  miles  distant.  In  less  than 
another  hour,  they  were  abreast  of  the  prairie,  and 
landed  at  the  spot  where  their  own  punt  was  moor- 
ed. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  had  not  perceived  the 
canoes,  for  although  anxiously  looking  out  every  day 
for  the  return  of  the  party,  their  eyes  and  attention 
were  directed  on  land,  not  having  any  idea  of  their 
return  by  water. 

"  My  dear  Alfred,"  said  Mary,  "I  do  not  think  it 
will  be  prudent  to  let  my  aunt  see  Percival  at  once; 
we  must  prepare  her  a  little  for  his  appearance. 
She  has  so  loug  considered  him  as  dead,  that  the 
shock  may  be  too  great." 


THE   SETTLERS.  161 

"You  say  true,  my  dear  Mary.  Then  we  will  go 
forward  with  Captain  Sinclair,  and  Malachi,  and 
John.  Let  Percival  he  put  in  the  middle  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  party,  who  must  follow  afterward, 
and  then  be  taken  up  to  Malachi's  lodge.  He  can 
remain  there  with  the  Strawberry  until  we  come 
and  fetch  him." 

Having  made  this  arrangement,  to  which  Percival 
was  with  difficulty  made  to  agree,  they  walked  up, 
as  proposed,  to  the  house.  Outside  of  the  palisade, 
they  perceived  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  with  their 
backs  toward  them,  looking  toward  the  forest,  in  the 
direction  which  the  party  had  taken  when  they  left. 
But  when  they  were  half-way  from  the  beach,  Hen- 
ry came  out  with  Oscar  from  the  cottage,  and  the 
dog  immediately  perceiving  them,  bounded  to  them, 
barking  with  delight.  Henry  cried  out,  "Father — 
mother,  here  they  are — here  they  come."  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Campbell  of  course  turned  round,  and  beheld 
the  party  advancing  ;  they  flew  to  meet  them,  and  as 
they  caught  Mary  in  their  arms,  all  explanation  was 
for  a  time  unnecessary — she  was  recovered,  and  that 
was  sufficient  for  the  time. 

"  Come,  mother,  let  us  go  into  the  house,  that  you 
may  compose  yourself  a  little,"  said  Alfred — that 
she  might  not  perceive  Percival  among  the  party 
that  followed  at  a  little  distance.  "Let  me  support 
you.     Take  my  arm." 

Mrs.  Campbell,  who  trembled  very  much,  did  so, 
and  thus  turned  away  from  the  group  among  whom 
Percival  was  walking.  Emma  was  looking  at  them 
attentively,  and  was  about  to  exclaim,  when  Captain 
Sinclair  put  his  finger  to  his  lips. 

As  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the  house,  and  had 
gone  in,  Alfred,  in  a  few  words,  gave  them  an  ac- 
count of  what  had  passed — how  successful  they  had 
been  in  their  attempt,  and  how  little  they  had  to  fear 
from  the  Indians  in  future. 

"How  grateful  I  am!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Campb  di. 
"  God  be  praised  for  all  his  mercies!     I  was  fea-'ul 

14* 


162  THE   SETTLEHS. 

that  I  should  have  lost  you,  my  dear  Mary,  as  well 
as  my  poor  boy.  He  is  lost  for  ever — but  God's 
will  be  done." 

"  It  is  very  strange,  mother,"  said  Alfred,  "  but  we 
heard,  on  our  journey,  that  the  Indians  had  found  a 
white  boy  in  the  woods." 

"  Alas  !  not  mine." 

"  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  Percival, 
my  dear  mother,  and  have  hopes  that  he  is  yet 
alive." 

"My  dear  Alfred,  do  not  say  so  unless  you  have 
good  cause  ;  you  little  know  the  yearnings  of  a 
mother's  heart ;  the  very  suggestion  of  such  a  hope 
has  thrown  me  into  a  state  of  agitation  and  nervous- 
ness of  which  you  can  form  no  conception.  I  have 
been  reconciled  to  the  divine  will  ;  let  me  not  return 
to  a  state  of  anxiety  and  repining." 

"  Do  you  think,  my  dear  mother,  that  I  would 
raise  such  hopes  if  I  had  not  good  reason  to  suppose 
that  they  would  be  realized  ?  No,  my  dear  mother, 
I  am  not  so  cruel." 

"  Then  you  know  that  Percival  is  alive,"  said  Mrs. 
Campbell,  seizing  Alfred  by  the  arm. 

"  Calm  yourself,  my  dear  mother,  I  do  know — I 
am  certain  that  he  is  alive,  and  that  it  was  he  who 
was  fuund  by  the  Indians  ;  and  I  have  great  hopes 
that  we  may  recover  him." 

"  God  grant  it  :  Gv«i  grant  it  in  his  great  mercy  !" 
said  Mrs.  Campbell,  "my  heart  is  almost  breaking 
with  joy  :  may  God  sustain  me  !  Oh,  where  is — my 
dear  Alfred — where  is  he?"  continued  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell. Alfred  made  no  reply,  but  a  flood  of  tears 
came  to  her  relief. 

"  I  will  explain  it  to  you  when  you  are  more 
composed,  my  dear  mother.  Emma,  you  have  not 
said  one  word  to  me." 

"  I  have  been  loo  much  overjoyed  to  speak,  Al- 
fred," replied  Emma,  extending  her  hand  to  Alfred, 
"  but  no  one  welcomes  your  return  more  sincerely 


THE   SETTLERS.  1  ^ 

than  I  do,  and  no  one  is  more  grateful  to  you  for  hav- 
ing brought  Mary  back." 

"  Now,  Alfred,  I  am  calm,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell, 
"  so  let  me  hear  at  once  all  you  know." 

"I  see  you  are  calm,  my  dear  mother,  and  I 
therefore  now  tell  you  that  Percival  is  not  far  off." 

"  Alfred  !  he  is  here  ;  I  am  sure  he  is." 

"He  is  with  Malachi  and  the  Strawberry;  in  a 
mini'te  I  will  bring  him." 

Alfred  left  the  house  :  the  intelligence  was  almost 
too  overpowering  for  Mrs.  Campbell.  Mary  and 
Emma  hastened  to  her,  and  supported  her.  In 
another  minute  Alfred  returned  with  Percival,  and 
the  mother  embraced  and  wept  over  her  long  lost 
child — and  then  gave  him  to  his  father's  arms. 

"  How  this  has  happened,  and  by  what  merciful 
interference  he  has  been  preserved  and  restored  to 
us,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  when  their  first  emotions 
were  over,  "we  have  yet  to  learn;  but  one  thing 
we  do  know,  and  are  sure  of,  that  it  is  by  the  good- 
ness of  God  alone.  Let  us  return  our  thanks  while 
our  hearts  are  yet  warm  with  gratitude  and  love, 
and  may  our  thanksgivings  be  graciously  received." 

Mr.  Campbell  knelt  down,  and  his  example  was 
followed  by  all  the  rest  of  the  party  assembled.  In 
a  fervent  tone  he  returned  thanks  for  the  recent  mer- 
cies vouchsafed  to  his  family,  which,  he  expressed  a 
hope,  would  never  be  forgotten,  but  would  prove  a 
powerful  inducement  to  them  all,  to  lead  a  more  de- 
vout life  of  faith  in  Him  who  had  so  graciously  sup- 
ported them  in  the  hour  of  peril  and  affliction — who 
had  so  wonderfully  restored  to  them  their  lost  treas- 
ures, and  turned  all  their  gloom  into  sunshine — fil- 
ling their  hearts  with  joy  and  gladness. 

"And  now,  my  dear  Alfred,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell, 
whose  arms  still  encircled  the  neck  of  Percival,  "  do 
pray  tell  us  what  has  taken  place,  and  how  you  re- 
covered Mary  and  this  dear  boy." 

Alfred  then  entered  into  his  detail,  first  stating  the 
knowledge  which   Captain   Sinclair,  Malachi,  and 


164  THE   SETTLERS. 

himself,  had  of  Percival  being  still  in  existence  from 
the  letter  written  by  the  Indian  woman — the  seizure 
and  confinement  of  the  Young  Otter  in  consequence, 
which  was  retaliated  by  the  abduction  of  Mary. 
When  he  had  finished,  Mr.  Campbell  said — 

"And  poor  Martin,  where  is  he,  that  I  may  thank 
him?" 

"He  is  at  his  own  lodge  with  the  Strawberry, 
who  is  dressing  his  wound  ;  for  we  have  not°been 
able  to  do  so  for  two  or  three  days,  and  it  has  be- 
come very  painful." 

"We  owe  him  a  large  debt  of  gratitude,"  said 
Mr.  Campbell  ;  "he  has  suffered  much  on  our  ac- 
count. And  your  poor  man,  Captain  Sinclair,  who 
fell !" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Sinclair,  "  he  was  one  of  our  best 
men — but  it  was  the  will  of  Heaven.  He  lost  his 
life  in  the  recovery  of  my  dear  Mary,  and  I  shall 
not  forget  his  wife  and  child,  you  may  depend  upon 
it." 

"Now,  Mary,  let  us  have  your  narrative  of  what 
passed  when  you  were  in  company  of  the  Indians, 
before  your  rescue." 

"I  was,  as  you  know,  gathering  the  cranberries 
in  the  Cedar  Swamp,  when  I  was  suddenly  seized, 
and  something  was  thrust  against  my  mouth,  so 
that  I  had  no  time  or  power  to  cry  out.  My  head 
was  then  wrapped  up  in  some  folds  of  blanket,  by 
which  I  was  almost  suffocated,  and  I  was  then 
lifted  up  and  borne  away  by  two  or  three  men.  For 
a  time  I  kept  my  senses,  but  at  last  the  suffocation 
was  so  great,  that  my  head  swam,  and  I  believe  I 
fainted,  for  I  do  not  recollect  being  put  down  ;  yet 
after  a  time  I  found  myself  lying  under  a  tree,  and 
surrounded  by  five  or  six  Indians,  who  were  squatted 
round  me.  1  was  not  a  little  terrified,  as  you  may 
imagine.  They  neither  moved  nor  spoke  for  some 
time  ;  I  endeavored  to  rise,  but  a  hand  on  my  shoul- 
der kept  me  down,  and  I  did  not  attempt  a  useless 
resistance.      Soon    afterward,   an    Indian    woman 


THE    SETTLERS. 


165 


brought  me  some  water,  and  I  immediately  recog- 
nised her  as  the  one  whom  we  had  succored  when 
we  found  her  in  the  woods.  This  gave  me  courage 
and  hope,  though  her  countenauce  was  immoveable, 
and  I  could  not  perceive,  even  by  her  eyes,  that  she 
attempted  any  recognition  ;  but  reflection  convinced 
me  that  if  she  intended  to  help  me,  she  was  right 
in  so  doino-.  After  I  had  raised  myself,  and  drunk 
some  water,  the  Indians  had  a  talk  in  a  low  voice. 
I  observed  that  they  paid  deference  to  one,  and  from 
the  description  which  my  father  and  Alfred  had 
given  of  the  Angry  Snake,  I  felt  sure  that  it  was  he. 
We  remained  about  half  an  hour  on  this  spot, 
when  they  rose,  and  made  signs  to  me  that  I  was  to 
come  with  them.  Of  course  I  could  do  no  other- 
wise, and  we  walked  till  night  came  on,  when  I  was, 
as  you  may  imagine,  not  a  little  tired.  They  then 
left  me  with  the  Indian  woman,  retiring  a  few  yards 
from  me.  The  woman  made  signs  that  I  was  to 
sleep,  and  although  I  thought  that  was  impossible, 
I  was  so  much  fatigued  that,  after  putting  up  my 
prayers  to  the  Almighty,  I  had  not  laid  down  many 
minutes  before  I  was  fast  asleep. 

"  Before  daylight,  I  was  awakened  by  their  voices, 
and  the  woman  brought  me  a  handful  of  parched 
Indian  corn  ;  not  quite  so  good  a  breakfast  as  I  had 
been  accustomed  to ;  but  I  was  hungry,  and  I  con- 
trived to  eat  it.  As  soon  as  the  day  broke  we  set  oft 
again,  and  toward  evening  arrived  at  a  lake.  A 
canoe  was  brought  out  from  some  bushes :  we  all 
got  into  it,  and  paddled  up  along  the  banks  for  two 
or  three  hours,  when  we  disembarked  and  renewed 
our  journey.  My  feet  were  now  becoming  very  sore 
and  painful,  for  they  were  blistered  all  over,  and  I 
could  scarcely  get  along ;  they  compelled  me,  how- 
ever, to  proceed,  not  using  any  great  force,  but  still 
dragging  me  and  pushing  me  to  make  me  keep  up 
withTthem.  I  soon  perceived  that  I  was  a  prisoner 
only,  and  net  likely  to  be  ill  treated  if  I  complied 
with  their  wishes.     Toward  evening  I  could  hardly 


166  THE   SETTLERS. 

put  one  foot  before  the  other,  for  they  had  obliged 
me  to  walk  on  the  water  of  a  stream  for  two  or  three 
miles,  and  my  shoes  were  quite  worn  out  in  conse- 
quence. At  night  they  again  stopped,  and  the  Indian 
woman  prepared  some  herbs,  and  applied  them  tn 
my  feet.  This  gave  me  great  relief,  but  she  contin- 
ued to  take  no  notice  of  any  signs  I  made  to  her. 
The  next  morning  I  found  I  had  received  so  much 
benefit  from  the  application  of  the  herbs,  that  for  the 
first  half  of  the  day  I  walked  on  pretty  well,  and 
was  a  little  in  advance,  when  hearing  the  chief  speak 
in  an  angry  tone  behind  me,  I  turned  round,  and  to 
my  horror,  saw  him  raise  his  tomahawk,  and  strike 
down  the  poor  Indian  woman.  I  could  not  refrain 
from  hastening  to  her  ;  but  I  had  just  time  to  per- 
ceive that  her  s^ull  was  cloven,  and  that  she  was,  as 
I  imagined,  dead,  when  I  was  dragged  away  and 
forced  to  continue  my  journey.  You  may  imagine 
how  my  blood  curdled  at  this  scene,  and  how  great 
were  now  my  apprehensions  for  myself.  Why  I  had 
been  carried  away  I  knew  not,  for  I  was  as  ignorant 
as  you  were  of  Percival  being  alive,  and  of  the 
Young  Otter  having  been  detained  at  the  fort.  My 
idea  was,  when  the  chief  struck  down  the  Indian 
woman,  that  it  was  to  get  rid  of  her,  and  that  I  was 
to  replace  her.  This  idea  was  almost  madness,  but 
still  I  had  hope,  and  I  prayed  as  I  walked  along  to 
that  God  who  sees  the  most  secret  act,  and  hears 
the  most  silent  prayer  of  the  heart,  and  I  felt  an 
assurance  while  praying  that  I  should  be  rescued.  I 
knew  that  my  absence  would  be  immediately  dis- 
covered, and  that  there  were  those  who  would  risk 
their  lives  to  rescue  me  if  I  was  still  in  existence  ; 
and  I  therefore  used  all  my  efforts  to  walk  on  as  fast 
as  I  could,  and  not  irritate  the  Indians.  But  that 
night  I  had  no  one  to  dress  my  feet,  which  were 
bleeding  and  very  much  swelled,  and  I  was  very 
wretched  when  I  lay  down  alone.  I  could  not  drive 
from  rny  thoughts  the  poor  Indian  woman  weltering 
in  her  blood  and  murdered  for  no  crime  or  fault — 


THE   SETTLERS.  167 

nothing  that  I  could  discover.  The  next  morning, 
as  usual,  my  food  was  parched  Indian  corn,  and  of 
that  I  received  only  a  handful  for  my  sustenance 
during  the  twenty-four  hours;  however,  hunger  I 
never  felt,  I  had  too  much  pain.  I  was  able  to  drag 
myself  on  till  about  noon,  when  I  felt  that  I  could 
not  proceed  farther.  I  stopped  and  sat  down  ;  the 
chief  ordered  me  to  get  up  again  by  signs  ;  I  pointed 
to  my  feet,  which  were  now  swelled  above  the 
ankles,  but  he  insisted,  and  raised  his  tomahawk  to 
frighten  me  into  compliance.  I  was  so  worn  out, 
that  I  could  have  almost  received  the  blow  with 
thankfulness,  but  I  remembered  you,  my  dear  uncle 
and  aunt,  and  others,  and  resolved  for  your  sakes  to 
make  one  more  effort.  I  did  so;  I  ran  and  walked 
for  an  hour  more  in  perfect  agony  ;  at  last  nature 
could  support  the  pain  no  longer,  and  I  fell  insen- 
sible." 

"  My  poor  Mary  !"  exclaimed  Emma. 

"  I  thought  of  you  often  and  often,  my  dear  sister," 
replied  Mary,  kissing  her. 

"  I  believe  it  was  a  long  while  before  I  came  to 
my  senses,"  continued  Mary,  "  for  when  I  did,  I 
found  that  the  Indians  were  very  busy  weaving 
branches  into  a  sort  of  litter.  As  soon  as  they  had 
finished,  they  put  me  upon  it,  and  I  was  carried  by 
two  of  them  swinging  on  a  pole  which  they  put  on 
their  shoulders.  I  need  hardly  say,  that  the  journey 
was  now  more  agreeable  than  it  was  before,  although. 
ms  feet  were  in  a  dreadful  state,  and  gave  me  much 
pain.  That  night  we  stopped  by  a  rivulet,  and  I 
kept  my  feet  in  (he  water  for  two  or  three  hours, 
which  brought  down  the  inflammation  and  swelling 
very  much,  and  I  contrived  after  that  to  gain  some 
sleep.  They  carried  me  one  more  day,  when  they 
considered  that  they  had  done  enough,  and  I  was 
again  ordered  to  walk ;  1  did  so  for  two  days,  and 
was  then  in  the  same  condition  as  before.  A  litter 
was  therefore  again  constructed,  and  I  was  carried 
till  I  arrived  at  the  lodges  of  the  Angry  Snake  and 


168  THE    SETTLERS. 

his  band.  What  passed  from  that  time  you  have 
heard  from  Alfred." 

When  Mary  Percival  had  finished  her  narrative, 
they  all  sat  down  to  supper,  and  it  hardly  need  be 
said  that  Mr,  Campbell  did  not  fail,  before  they 
retired  to  rest,  again  to  pour  forth  his  thanksgivings 
to  the  Almighty  for  the  preservation  of  those  who 
were  so  dear.  The  next  morning,  they  all  rose  in 
health  and  spirits.  Martin  came  early  to  the  house 
with  the  Strawberry  ;  bis  wound  was  much  better, 
and  he  received  the  thanks  and  condolence  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Campbell. 

When  they  were  at  breakfast,  Mr.  Campbell  said, 
"  John,  in  our  joy  at  seeing  your  brother  and  cousin 
again,  I  quite  forgot  to  scold  you  for  running  away 
as  you  did." 

"  Then  don't  do  it  now,  sir,"  said  Malachi,  "  for 
he  was  very  useful,  I  can  assure  you.;' 

"  No,  I  won't  scold  him  now,"  replied  Mr.  Camp- 
bell ;  "  but  he  must  not  act  so  another  time.  If  he 
had  confided  to  me  his  anxious  wish  to  join  you,  I 
should  probably  have  given  my  permission." 

"  I  must  now  take  my  leave,  and  return  to  the 
fort,"  said  Captain  Sinclair  ;  "  I  do,  however,  trust  I 
shall  see  you  all  again  in  a  few  days,  but  I  must 
report  the  results  of  the  expedition  and  the  death  of 
poor  Watkins.  May  I  borrow  one  of  your  horses, 
Mr.  Campbell  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell;  "you  know 
the  bateau  is  expected  every  day  from  Montreal ; 
perhaps  you  will  bring  us  our  letters  when  it 
arrives." 

Captain  Sinclair  took  his  leave,  as  it  maybe  ima- 
gined, very  reluctantly,  and  in  a  day  or  two  the  fam- 
ily again  settled  down  to  their  usual  occupations. 
The  emigrants  had,  during  the  absence  of  the  expe- 
dition, gathered  in  a  great  portion  of  the  corn,  and 
now  all  hands  were  employed  in  finishing  the 
harvest. 

"  How  happy  we  are  now,  Mary,"  said  Emma  to 


THE   SETTLERS.  169 

her  sister,  as  they  were  walking  by  the  stream, 
watching  John,  who  was  catching  trout. 

"  Yes,  my  dear  Emma,  we  have  had  a  lesson 
which  will,  I  trust,  prevent  any  future  repining,  if 
we  have  felt  any,  at  our  present  position.  The  mis- 
ery we  have  been  rescued  from  has  shown  us  how 
much  we  have  to  be  thankful  for.  We  have  nothing 
more  to  fear  from  the  Indians,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
now  pass  the  remainder  of  my  life  here  in  peace  and 
thankfulness." 

"Not  without  Captain  Sinclair." 

"  Not  always  without  him  ;  the  time  will,  I  trust, 
come  when  I  may  reward  him  for  his  patience  and 
his  regard  for  me  ;  but  it  has  not  yet  come  ;  and  it's 
for  my  uncle  and  aunt  to  decide  when  it  shall. 
Where's  Percival  ?" 

"  He's  gone  into  the  woods  with  Malachi,  and 
with  a  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  of  which  he  is  not  a 
little  proud.  John  is  not  at  all  jealous.  He  says 
that  Percival  ought  to  know  how  to  fire  a  rifle,  and 
throw  away  that  foolish  bow  and  arrows.  Do  you 
not  think  that  his  residence  among  the  Indians  has 
made  a  great  change  in  Percival  ?" 

"A  very  great  one;  he  is  more  manly  and  more 
taciturn  ;  he  appears  to  think  more  and  talk  less. 
But  Henry  is  beckoning  to  us.  Dinner  is  ready,  and 
we  must  not  keep  hungry  people  waiting." 

"  No,"  replied  Emma  ;  **  for  in  that  case  I  should 
keep  myself  waiting.' 

Vol.  IL— 15 


170  THE   SETTLERS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Cai'Tain  Sinclair  on  his  return  to  Fort  Frontignac 
reported  to  the  colonel  the  successful  result  of  the 
expedition,  and  was  warmly  congratulated  upon  it, 
as  the  colonel  had  been  made  acquainted  with  the 
engagement  between  him  and  Mary  Percival.  The 
Young  Otter,  who  had  remained  in  confinement  during 
Captain  Sinclair's  absence,  was  now  set  at  liberty ; 
and  the  colonel,  who  was  aware  that  Captain  Sin- 
clair must  be  very  anxious  to  remain  at  the  settle- 
ment for  a  short  time  after  what  had  occurred,  very 
kindly  offered  him  leave  for  a  few  days,  which  it 
may  be  supposed  Captain  Sinclair  did  not  fail  to  avail 
himself  of.  The  colonel  at  the  same  lime  sent  a 
message  to  Mr.  Campbell,  stating  that  as  soon  as  the 
bateaux  should  arrive  from  Montreal,  he  would  bring 
any  letters  or  newspapers  that  might  arrive  for  them, 
and  take  that  opportunity  of  offering  in  person  his 
congratulations. 

Captain  Sinclair  did  not,  however,  return  for  two 
or  three  days,  as  he  had  many  letters  to  write  in  an- 
swer to  those  which  had  arrived  during  his  absence. 
On  his  return  to  the  settlement,  he  found  them 
all  well  and  happy ;  Mary  quite  recovered  from 
her  fatigue,  and  everything  going  on  in  the  same 
quiet  order  and  method  as  if  the  expedition  had 
never  taken  place,  and  had  never  been  necessary. 
Indeed,  nothing  appeared  now  wanting  to  the  hap- 
piness of  the  whole  party,  and  their  affairs  were 
prospering.  The  emigrants  who  had  joined  Mr. 
Campbell  were  industrious  and  intelligent,  very  civil, 
and  very  useful.  They  paid  the  greatest  respect  to 
Mi.  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  who  were  certainly  very 


THE   SETTLERS.  171 

liberal  and  kind  to  them,  assisting  them  in  every- 
way in  their  power.  Although  the  farm  had  been  so 
much  increased,  the  labor  was  light,  from  the  quan- 
tity of  hands  they  could  command  ;  the  stock  had 
increased  very  fast ;  old  Graves  had  taken  charge  of 
the  mill  during  the  absence  of  Alfred  and  Martin, 
and  had  expressed  his  wish  to  continue  in  that  em- 
ployment, which  Alfred  gladly  gave  up.  In  short, 
peace  and  plenty  reigned  in  the  settlement,  and 
Alfred's  words  when  he  recommended  his  father  to 
go  to  Canada,  had  every  prospect  of  becoming  true — 
that  his  father  would  be  independent,  if  not  rich,  and 
leave  his  children  the  same.  In  three  days  Captain 
Sinclair  arrived  ;  he  was  received  with  great  warmth 
by  all  the  party,  and  after  dinner  was  over,  Mr. 
Campbell  addressed  the  family  as  follows: — 

"  My  dear  children,  your  mother  and  I  have  had 
some  conversation  on  one  or  two  points,  and  we  have 
come  to  the  decision  that  having  so  much  to  thank 
God  for,  in  his  kindness  and  mercies  shown  toward 
us,  it  would  be  selfish  on  our  parts  if  we  did  not 
consult  the  happiness  of  others.  We  are  now  inde- 
pendent, and  with  every  prospect  of  being  more  so 
every  day  ;  we  are  no  longer  isolated,  but  surrounded 
by  those  who  are  attached  to  us,  and  will  protect 
us  should  there  be  any  occasion.  In  short,  we  are 
living  in  comfort  and  security,  and  we  trust  to  Prov- 
idence that  we  shall  continue  so  to  do.  You,  my 
dear  Alfred,  generously  abandoned  your  profession  to 
which  you  were  so  partial,  to  come  and  protect  us  in 
the  wilderness,  and  we  knew  too  well  the  value  of 
your  services  not  to  accept  them,  although  we  were 
fully  aware  of  the  sacrifice  which  you  made  ;  but 
we  are  no  longer  in  a  wilderness,  and  no  longer 
require  your  strong  arm  and  bold  heart.  We  have 
therefore  decided  that  it  is  our  duty  no  longer  to  keep 
you  from  the  profession  to  which  you  belong,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  to  recommend  you  now  to  rejoin  it  and 
follow  up  your  career,  which  we  trust  in  God  may 
prove  as  prosperous  as  we  are  convinced  it  will  be 


172  THE   SETTLERS. 

honorable.  Take  our  best  thanks,  my  dear  boy,  for 
your  kindness  to  us,  and  now  consider  yourself  at  lib- 
erty to  return  to  England,  and  rejoin  the  service  as 
soon  as  you  please. 

"And  now  I  must  address  you,  my  dear  Mary; 
you  and  your  sister  accompanied  us  here,  and  since 
you  have  been  with  us,  have  cheered  us  during  our 
stay  by  your  attentions  and  unwearied  cheerfulness 
under  all  the  privations  which  we  at  first  had  to  en- 
counter. You  have  engaged  the  affections  of  an 
honorable  and  deserving  man,  but  at  the  same  time 
have  never  shown  the  least  disposition  to  leave  us  ; 
indeed,  we  know  what  your  determination  has  been, 
but  your  aunt  and  I  consider  it  our  present  duty  to 
say,  that  much  as  we  shall  regret  to  part  with  one  so 
dear,  you  must  no  longer  sacrifice  yourself  for  us, 
but  make  him  happy  who  so  well  deserves  you. 
That  you  will  remain  here  is  of  course  out  of  the 
question  ;  your  husband's  connexions  and  fortune 
require  that  he  should  return  to  England,  and  not 
bury  himself  in  the  woods  of  Canada.  You  have 
therefore  our  full  permission,  and  I  may  say  it  will  be 
most  pleasing  to  us,  if  you  no  longer  delay  your 
union  with  Captain  Sinclair,  and  follow  your  hus- 
band ;  whenever  and  wherever  you  go,  you  will  have 
our  blessings  and  our  prayers,  and  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  you  have  been  to  us  as  a  dutiful  daugh- 
ter, and  that  we  love  you  as  dearly  as  it  is  possible 
for  parents  to  do.  Take  her,  Captain  Sinclair,  from 
my  hands,  and  take  her  Avith  our  blessings  and  best 
wishes  for  your  happiness,  which  I  do  not  doubt 
will  be  as  great  as  we  can  expect  in  this  chequered 
world ;  for  a  dutiful  daughter  will  always  become  a 
good  wife." 

Mary,  who  was  sitting  between  Mrs.  Campbell 
and  Captain  Sinclair,  fell  upon  her  aunt's  neck  and 
wept;  Mr.  Campbell  extended  his  hand  to  Captain 
Sinclair,  who  expressed  in  return  his  warmest  thanks 
and  gratitude.  Alfred,  who  had  said  nothing  more, 
went  up  to  his  mother  and  kissed  her. 


THE   SETTLERS.  173 

"  I  wish  you  to  go,  Alfred,"  said  his  mother;  "1 
wish  you  to  rejoin  a  service  to  which  you  are  a  credit. 
Do  not  helieve  otherwise,  or  that  I  shall  grieve  too 
much  at  your  departure." 

"  Go,  my  son,"  said  Mr.  Campbell,  shaking  him  by 
the  hand,  "and  let  me  see  you  a  post-captain  before 
I  die." 

Mrs.  Campbell  now  took  Mary  Percival  into  the 
next  room,  that  she  might  compose  herself,  and  Cap- 
tain Sinclair  ventured  to  follow.  Every  one  appeared 
happy  at  this  announcement  of  Mr.  Campbell,  except 
Emma,  who  looked  unusually  serious.  Alfred,  per- 
ceiving it,  said  to  her,  "  Emma,  you  are  very  grave 
at  the  idea  of  losing  Mary,  and  I  do  not  wonder  at 
it,  but  you  will  have  one  consolation,  you  will  lose 
me  too,  and  I  shall  no  longer  plague  you  as  you  con- 
tinually complain  that  I  do." 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  replied  Emma,  half 
angry  ;  "  well,  you  are  a  great  plague,  and  the  sooner 
you  go  — " 

Emma  did  not.  however,  finish  her  speech,  but  left 
the  room,  to  join  her  sister. 

Now  that  Mr.  Campbell  had  announced  his  wishes, 
the  subject  of  Mary's  marriage  and  Alfred's  return  to 
the  service  was,  for  a  few  days,  the  continual  subject 
of  discussion.  It  was  decided  that  Mary  should  be 
married  in  a  month,  by  the  chaplain  of  the  fort,  who 
had  returned,  and  that  Captain  Sinclair,  with  his 
wife  and  Alfred,  should  leave  the  settlement  at  the 
end  of  September,  so  as  to  arrive  at  Quebec  in  good 
time  for  sailing  before  the  winter  should  set  in.  It 
was  now  the  last  week  in  August,  so  that  there  was 
not  much  time  to  pass  away  previous  to  their  depar- 
ture. Captain  Sinclair  returned  to  the  fort,  to  make 
the  colonel  acquainted  with  what  had  passed,  and 
to  take  the  necessary  steps  for  leave  of  absence,  and 
his  return  to  England.  This,  from  his  interest  with 
the  governor,  he  was  sure  to  obtain,  and  when  in 
England,  it  would  be  time  sufficient  to  decide  whether 
he  should  leave  that  service  or  exchange  into  some 

15* 


174  THE   SETTLERS. 

regiment  at  home.  As  every  prospect  of  war  ordis« 
turbance  in  Canada  was  now  over,  he  could  take 
either  step  without  any  censure  being  laid  upon  him. 

A  week  afterward,  the  bateaux  arrived  from  Mon- 
treal, and  the  colonel  and  Captain  Sinclair  made 
their  appearance  at  the  settlement,  bringing  with 
them  the  letters  and  papers  from  England. 

Having  received  the  congratulations  of  the  colonel, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  with  his  permission,  opened 
their  letters,  for  all  the  family  were  present,  and  all, 
as  usual,  anxious  to  hear  the  news.  The  first  letter 
Mr.  Campbell  opened,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  produced 
an  immediate  change  in  his  countenance.  He  read 
it  a  second  time,  and  laying  it  down  on  his  knee,  ap- 
peared to  remain  in  a  state  of  complete  abstraction. 

"No  bad  news,  I  hope,  Campbell,"  said  his  wife 
anxiously,  as  all  the  rest  looked  upon  him  with  as- 
tonishment. 

"No,  my  dear  Emily,  no  bad  news,  but  most  un- 
expected news  ;  such  as  it  has  been  my  fortune  in 
life  to  receive  once  before  this  time.  You  remember, 
although  years  have  since  passed,  the  letter  that  was 
brought  us  to  our  little  parlor — " 

"Which  put  you  in  possession  of  Wexton  Hall, 
Campbell." 

"  Yes,  I  did  refer  to  that ;  but  I  will  not  keep  you 
all  in  longer  suspense.  This  is  hut  a  counterpart  of 
the  former  letter." 

Mr.  Campbell  then  read  as  follows : — 

"  May  7,  18— 

"Dear  Sir:  It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  we 
have  again  to  communicate  to  you  that  you  may 
return,  as  soon  as  you  please,  and  take  possession  of 
the  Wexton  Hall  property. 

"  You  may  remember  that  many  months  back 
Mr.  Douglas  Campbell  received  a  fall  from  his  horse 
when  hunting.  No  serious  consequences  were  an- 
ticipated, but  it  appears  that  his  spine  was  injured, 
and  after  some  months'  close  confinement,  he  ex- 
pired on  the  9th  of  April.     As  Mr.  Douglas  Camp- 


THE   SETTLERS.  175 

bell  has  left  no  issue,  and  you  are  the  next  in  tail, 
you  have  now  undisputed  possession  of  the  property 
which  you  so  honorable  surrendered  some  years 
since. 

"  I  have  taken  upon  myself  to  act  as  your  agent 
since  Mr.  Campbell's  decease.  Mrs.  D.  Campbell 
has  a  handsome  settlement  upon  the  property,  which 
will  of  course  fall  in  upon  her  demise.  Waiting  your 
commands,  "  I  am,  dear  sir, 

"  Yours  truly, 

"J.  Harvey." 

"  Mr.  Campbell,  I  congratulate  you  with  all  my 
heart,"  said  the  colonel,  rising  up,  and  taking  his 
hand.  "  You  have  proved  yourself  deserving  of  such 
good  fortune  ;  Mrs.  Campbell,  I  need  hardly  add 
that  my  congratulations  extend  to  you." 

Surprise  at  first  rendered  Mrs.  Campbell  mute  ;  at 
last  she  said  : — 

"  We  are  in  the  hands  of  Him,  and  do  but  execute 
His  will.  For  your  sake,  my  dear  Campbell,  for  the 
children's  sake,  perhaps,  I  ought  to  rejoice — we 
hardly  know.  That  I  am  happy  here,  now  that  my 
children  have  been  restored  to  me,  I  confess,  I  doubt 
whether  that  happiness  will  be  increased  by  the  re- 
turn to  Wexton  Hall ;  at  all  events,  I  shall  leave 
this  place  with  regret.  We  have  had  loo  many  revo- 
lutions of  fortune,  Campbell,  since  we  have  been 
united,  not  to  have  learned  by  experience  that  a 
peaceful,  quiet,  and  contented  home  is  more  neces- 
sary to  our  happiness  than  riches." 

"  I  feel  as  you  do,  Emily,"  replied  Mr.  Campbell, 
"but  Ave  are  growing  old,  and  have  been  taught 
wisdom  practically,  by  the  events  of  a  chequered 
life.  Our  children,  I  perceive,  think  otherwise — nor 
do  I  wonder  at  it." 

"  I  shan't  go,"  said  John  ;  "  I  shall  only  he  sent  to 
school ;  no  master  shall  flog  me — I'm  a  man." 

"  Nor  me,"  cried  Percival. 

The  colonel,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  as  well 


176  THE    SETTLERS. 

lis  the  elder  portion  of  the  party,  could  not  help  smi- 
ling at  the  exclamations  of  two  boys.  They  had  both 
Elayed  the  part  of  men,  and  it  was  but  too  evident 
ow  unfitted  they  would  be  for  future  scholastic  dis- 
cipline, 

"You  shall  neither  of  you  go  to  school,"  replied 
Mr.  Campbell,  "  but  still  you  must  render  yourselves 
fit  for  your  stations  in  life,  by  improving  your  minds, 
and  attending  to  tbose  who  will  instruct  you." 

It  is  hard  to  say  whether  much  real  joy  was  felt 
by  any  of  the  party  at  the  prospect  of  returning  to 
England.  It  is  true  that  Mary  Percival  was  delight- 
ed at  the  idea  of  not  being  so  far  from  her  aunt  and 
uncle,  and  that  Emma  was  better  pleased  to  be  in 
England,  for  reasons  which  she  kept  to  herself.  But 
it  was  not  the  coming  into  the  large  property  which 
occasioned  pleasure  to  any  of  them.  However,  if 
there  Avas  not  much  pleasure  derived  from  this  re- 
accession  to  property,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  knew 
their  duty  too  well  to  hesitate,  and  every  prepara- 
tion was  commenced  for  their  return  along  with  Al- 
fred and  Captain  Sinclair.  John,  however,  still  con- 
tinued obstinate  in  declaring  that  he  would  not  go, 
and  Percival  was  very  much  of  John's  opinion,  al- 
though he  did  not*speak  so  plainly. 

When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  were  alone,  the  for- 
mer said  to  his  wife  : — 

"  I  do  not  know  what  to  do  about  John.  He  ap- 
pears so  resolute  in  his  determination  not  to  go  with 
us,  that  I  fear  he  will  run  away  into  the  woods  at 
the  time  of  our  departure.  He  is  now  continually 
wiih  Malachi  and  Martin,  and  appears  to  have  sev- 
ered himself  from  his  family." 

"  It  is  hard  to  decide,  Campbell ;  I  have  more  than 
once  thought  it  would  be  better  to  leave  him  here.  He 
is  our  youngest  son.  Henry  will  of  course  inherit 
the  estate,  and  we  shall  have  to  provide  for  the 
others  out  of  our  savings.  Now  this  property,  by  the 
time  that  John  is  of  age,  will  be  of  no  inconsiderable 
value,  and  by  no  means  a  bad  fortune  for  a  younger 


THE    SETTLERS.  177 

son.  He  appears  so  wedded  to  the  woods  and  a  life 
of  nature,  that  I  fear  it  would  only  be  the  cause  of 
continual  regret  and  discontent  if  we  did  take  him  to 
England ;  and  if  so,  what  comfort  or  advantage 
should  we  gain  by  his  returning  ?  I  hardly  know 
what  to  advise." 

"  I  have  serious  thoughts  of  leaving  him  here, 
under  the  charge  of  Martin  and  Malachi,"  replied 
Mr.  Campbell.  "He  would  be  happy  ;  by-and-by 
he  would  be  rich.  What  could  he  obtain  more  in 
England  ?  But  it  must  be  for  you  to  decide,  my  dear 
Emily.  I  know  a  mother's  feelings,  and  respect 
them." 

"I  can  not  decide  at  once,  my  dear  husband.  I 
will  first  talk  with  John,  and  consult  with  Alfred 
and  Henry." 

The  result  of  Mrs.  Campbell's  communicating 
with  her  sons,  was  a  decision  that  John  should  re- 
main in  Canada,  under  the  charge  of  Martin  and 
Malachi,  who  were  to  superintend  the  farm,  and 
watch  over  him.  Martin  was  to  take  charge  of  the 
farm.  Malachi  was  to  be  John's  companion  in  the 
woods,  and  old  Graves,  who  had  their  mill  under  his 
care,  engaged  to  correspond  with  Mr.  Campbell,  and 
let  them  know  how  things  went  on.  When  this  was 
settled,  John  walked  at  least  two  inches  higher,  and 
promised  to  write  to  his  mother  himself.  The  colo- 
nel, when  he  heard  the  arrangement,  pledged  him- 
self that  as  long  as  he  was  in  command  of  the  fort, 
he  would  keep  a  watchful  eye,  not  only  over  John, 
but  the  whole  of  the  settlement,  and  communicate 
occasionally  with  Mr.  Campbell. 

A  month  after  the  receipt  of  the  letter,  the  whole 
family,  with  the  exception  of  John,  embarked  in  two 
bateaux,  and  arrived  at  Montreal,  where  they  re- 
mained a  day  or  two,  and  then  proceeded  to  Quebec. 

At  Quebec,  their  agent  had  already  taken  all  the 
cabins  of  one  of  the  finest  ships  for  their  passage,  and 
after  a  run  of  six  weeks,  they  once  more  found  them- 
selves at  Liverpool,  from  which  town  they  posted  to 


178  THE    SETTLEKS. 

Wexton  Hall,  Mrs.  Douglas  Campbell  having  retired 
to  a  property  of  her  own  in  Scotland. 

We  have  now  finished  our  tale,  and  have  only  to 
inform  our  little  readers  what  were  the  after  lives  of 
the  Campbell  family. 

Henry  did  not  return  to  college,  but  remained  with 
his  father  and  mother  at  the  Hall,  employing  him- 
self in  superintending  for  his  father  the  property  to 
which  he  afterward  succeeded. 

Alfred  was  appointed  to  a  ship  commanded  by 
Captain  Lumley.  He  soon  rose  in  the  service,  was 
highly  distinguished  as  a  gallant,  clever  officer,  and 
four  years  after  his  return  to  England  was  married 
to  his  cousin  Emma — at  which  the  reader  will  not 
be  surprised. 

Mary  Percival  was  married  to  Captain  Sinclair, 
who  sold  out,  and  retired  upon  half-pay,  to  live  upon 
his  estates  in  Scotland. 

Percival  went  to  college,  and  turned  out  a  very 
clever  lawyer. 

John  remained  in  Canada  until  he  was  twenty 
years  old,  Avhen  he  came  home  to  see  his  father  and 
mother.  He  had  grown  to  six  feet  four  inches  high, 
and  was  stout  in  proportion.  He  was  a  very  amusing 
fellow,  and  could  talk  fast  enough,  but  his  cnief  con- 
versation was  upon  hunting  and  sporting.  The  farm 
had  been  well  conducted  ;  the  emigrants  had  adhered 
to  the  agreements,  and  were  now  cultivating  for 
themselves.  Martin  had  three  little  papooses  (as 
the  Indians  call  the  children)  by  the  Strawberry. 
Malachi  had  grown  too  old  to  go  out  often  into  the 
woods,  and  he  sat  by  the  fire  in  the  winter,  and 
basked  in  the  sun  at  the  door  of  the  house  during 
the  summer.  Oscar  was  dead,  but  they  had  some 
fine  puppies  of  his  breed.  Mr.  Campbell  gave  John 
a  deed,  on  his  return,  conveying  to  him  the  Cana- 
dian properly,  and  shortly  afterward  John  picked  up 
a  little  Canadian  wife  at  Quebec,  who  made  him 
J  trfectly  happy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  lived  to  a  good  old  age, 


THE   SETTLERS.  179 

respected  as  long  as  they  lived,  and  lamented  when 
they  died.  They  had  known  prosperity  and  adver- 
sity, and  in  each  state  of  life  had  acquitted  them- 
selves with  exemplary  propriety,  not  having  been 
elated  by  the  one,  or  depressed  by  the  other.  They 
knew  that  this  world  was  a  world  of  trial,  and  but 
a  preparation  for  anotner  ;  they,  therefore,  did  their 
duty  in  that  state  of  life  to  which  it  pleased  God  to 
call  them — proving  in  all  their  actions,  that  they  re- 
membered their  duty  to  their  God,  and  their  duty  to 
their  neighbor  ;  living  and  dying  (as  I  hope  all  my 
young  readers  will)  sincere  and  good  Christians. 


THE   EHD. 


A  LIST  OF 

NEW   WORKS 

IN    GENERAL    EITEUATURE, 

TUBLISnKD    BY 

D.   APPLETON    AND    COMPANY, 
846  &  349  Broadway,  N.  T. 


Complete  Catalogues,  containing  full  descriptions,  to  be  Jut* 
on  application  to  the  Publishers. 


Agriculture  &  Rural  Affairs. 

fcuiiMiiiKmili's  Rural  Economy,     .    1  25 

Book,  illustrated.       •    5  oo 

VYarmg's  Element*  of  Agriculture,        15 

Arts  Manufactures,  and  Ar- 
chitecture. 

Ajjoleton'a  Dictionary  of  Mechanics 

»vola 1*00 

Apphton's   Mechanic*'  Magazine. 

8  vols,  each,  .  .  •  .  3  50 
Allen's  Philosophy  of  Mechanics,  .  3  50 
Arnnt's  Gothic  Architecture,  .  .  4  On 
Basanett's  Theory  of  Storms, .  .  1  no 
Bourne  on  tlu-  Steam  Engine,.  .  0  15 
Byrne  on  Lojrarithms,  .  •  .  1  00 
Chapman  on  the  American  Rifle,  .  1  25 
Coming's  Preservatioo-of  Health,  .  15 
Collum  on  Military  Bridges,  .  .  8  00 
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Hooker's  Complete  Works.  2  vols. 

James'  Happiness, 

James  on  the  Nature  of  Evil, 

Jarvis'  Reply  to  Milner, 

Kingsley's  Sacred  Ciioir        .        . 


1  (111 

2  50 

2  00 

1  00 

1  25 

I  00 

15 

15 

38 

!   on 

3  01) 

6  V0 

15 

1   nil 

8  00 

1  00 

1  00 

88 

31 

25 

2  00 

1   00 

1  00 

0  50 

2  00 

2  00 

38 

1  O'l 

50 

1  00 

1  25 

1  U0 

1  00 

4  00 

25 

1     llll 

15 

15 

Kehle's  Christian  Year, 
Layman's  Letters  to  a  Bish  >p, 
Logan's  Sermons    and  Expository 

Lectures,       .... 
Lyra  Apostolica, 
Marshall's  Notes  on  Episcopacy, 
N.wuian's  Sermons  on  Subjects  of 

the  Duy 

"         Essay  on  Christian  Doc- 
trine,   

Ogilby  on  Lay  Baptism, 

Pearson  on  the  Creed,    . 

Pulpit  Cyclopaedia   and  Ministers1 

Companion,   .  ... 

SewelPs    Rending   Preparatory    to 

Confirmation, 

Southurd's  Mystery  of  Godliness, 
Sketches  and  Skeletons  of  Sermons, 

.  i's  Christian  Instructed 
Sherlock's  Practical  Christian, 
Sutton's   Disce  Vive-re*— Learn  to 

Live,       .  .  .  ,  « 

Bwai  u'n  Letters  to  my  Godchild, 
Trench's  Notes  on  tlie  Parables, 
li       Notes  on  ilie  Miracles. 
Taylor's  Holy  Living  and  Dying 
"       Episcopacy   Asserted  and 
Maintained,  .         .         • 

Tyng's  Family  Commentary, 

r'a    Sermons    on    Practical 

Subjects,       ...» 

Watson  on  Confirmation, 

WUberforce'a  Manual  lor  Comma 

nicunts,  .        .  • 

Wilson's  Lectures  on  Colossians, 
Wyatt's  Christian  Altar, 


31 

25 

1  13 

50 

1  00 

1  00 

16 
50 

2  00 

2  50 

15 

15 

2  50 

1  00 

18 

15 

38 

1  15 

I  15 

1  00 

15 

2  00 

2  00 

06 

38 
15 
38 


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Book, »  00 

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nia, ....'.  1  25 
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lira.) 1  00 

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CELEBRATED  CHILDREN,  of  AH  Ages  and  Nations. 
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This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
date  stamped  below. 


Mi 


LUAN 


DEC  3 

A.M. 

■•s'91101111,: 


(D 1964 


f&'D  LD-L'RL 


\ 

ORION 

«.0  :;RL   JUI!l9^9 

JUN  1  9  1389 


1964 


DL. 


12 


P.M. 


10f^.-1 1-50  2555)470 


REMINGTON    RAND    INC.   ID 


L  005  243  273  9 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA  000  370  479  8 


PR 

1977 

S27 


